


Summer on Boardwalk

by JenAOT



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aruani sideplot, Attempt at Humor, F/M, Loss of Virginity, Mild Sexual Content, Teen Romance, light angst??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:27:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29157366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenAOT/pseuds/JenAOT
Summary: Mikasa just got her first summer job as a waitress at a family diner to help Levi out with bills. What was supposed to be a simple summer job with her best friend Sasha spirals out of control when she meets her boss's son, Eren Yeager.Annie meets a mysterious stranger on a Central Park bench and can't help but feel attracted to him.*A mediocre-lighthearted attempt at a fanfic*
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager
Comments: 110
Kudos: 297





	1. Lobsters and Him

Sasha Braus laid in bed, with her curtains yanked shut, an ice pack on her forehead, and a bowl of ramen noodles on her dresser that sat next to a picture of her on her first day of elementary school with missing teeth, two auburn pigtails, and a pair of wide frame glasses.

“Awww you look adorable. Like a little shark with missing teeth” Mikasa had commented the first time she saw it

Besides it was a picture of Mikasa napping against a window, her younger sister Kaya, and two teenage boys, Jean and Connie, both with crooked grins adorned on their faces. The two boys had visited her earlier and delivered her the bowl of ramen that she was now struggling to finish.

She stared at the dark ceiling, with her throat parched, her head pounding, and began numbering the hours she had remaining before she succumbed to food poisoning when her phone abruptly rang.

Mikasa her phone read. She painfully turned to her side and answered the ringing phone.

“I’m dying Mikasa,” Sasha heaved into the phone. “My skin is hot, my face is pale, and I can’t even keep down a bowl of ramen noodles. I think it’s the lobster from last night.”

“I told you not to eat. There isn’t one drug store that sells authentic fish in all of New York City. You should have known by just looking at it. It looked like my sixth gra-”

“Stop nagging me, Mikasa. You judging me while I’m on my deathbed isn’t helping. Are you still going to the restaurant?”

The restaurant, as the two girls referred to it, was their big summer gig. Mikasa deemed it a miracle they were able to find a job during summer because stores usually gave preference to college students. At 16, Sasha’s resume was bare to the bone, and the only experience Mikasa had was working at her aunt’s restaurant two summers ago. Every single place Mikasa had called, written, emailed, rejected her.

“Maybe we should become sugar babies” Sasha insisted  
“I would if Levi allowed it.”

The restaurant, formally known as Jaeger’s, was owned by Armin’s family friend. Mikasa has never seen or met the guy but Armin had overheard Mikasa lamenting and recommended that she try giving Mrs. Jaeger a call. She hired both of them on the spot when she learned Armin recommended them.

“I’m almost there. I just got off the train. I can’t believe you’re missing the first day. How’s Mrs. Jaege-”

“You're doing it again Mikasa,” Sasha sighed as she began removing the phone from her ear

“Doing what? Telling you the truth? What if you get fired? You can’t leave me alone Sasha, “ Mikasa pleaded into the phone.

“I’ll be there in two days. Just hang in there Mikasa. Isn’t Annie Leonhart working there this summer too?”

Annie Leonhart, 17 years old, was in the grade above them and was renowned for her athleticism that even rivaled Mikasa’s. “That bitch” is how Mikasa commonly referred to her.

“You act like that makes it any better. It seems like Mrs. Jaeger hired the whole school.”

“It’s only the 3 of us and besides the more of us there is, the less work we’ll do. Just think of the trip to Europe we’ll be able to afford by the time we turn 18.”

“You’re right for once Sasha,” Mikasa sighed in acceptance.

“I’m always right. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a bowl of ramen to finish up. Kaya! Can you microwave this?”

“Feel better Sasha. Bye,” Mikasa hung up.

The humid hot air of the New York City summer began to weigh down on her as she turned the corner of the street. Her eyes brightened when she finally saw the two-story building with the gleaming sign “Jaeger’s Diner” etched upon it.

She crossed the street and made her way into the restaurant and the bell ringing signaled her entrance. She was immediately greeted with the cool air conditioning that echoed throughout the diner.

“Mikasa! Is that you?” She heard a voice call from above the stairs. “I’m coming, honey. Let me wipe this cake batter off my hands.”

Mikasa began to look around the diner. It was your typical family diner. There were seven tables placed around the room, three table booths, and a counter. It was overall empty and judging from the sign that was etched on the door, the restaurant was closed. She began making her towards a collection of pictures hung upon a wall.

They mostly consisted of Mrs.Jaeger and a small boy with brown hair and striking green eyes that she didn’t know of. Eren? The boy looked like a carbon copy of Mrs. Jaeger saved for the green eyes he adorned instead of her hazel ones. She found one of him on a basketball team, one of him with missing teeth, and another of him going down a slide. She found herself beginning to smile. She even found one of Armin reading an encyclopedia. Such a nerd, she thought. She also found one of a blond teen that had an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Jaeger but most of them consisted of him on a baseball team.

Her stomach suddenly lurched as she felt someone grab her shoulders.

“Boo! Did I scare you love” Mrs. Jaeger exclaimed  
“No, you didn’t Mrs. Jaeger. Haha,” Mikasa laughed trying to conceal the terror she felt but it came out more like a dry cough.

“Call me Carla. Sit down and we’ll go over everything” she said as she motioned Mikasa to sit down by the counter.

“As you can see the store doesn’t open until 10 am and we don’t close until 7 pm. We’re not open today as I detailed in your email because today will be a training day. I spoke to your guardian already and he was hesitant about you staying this late especially commuting on the subway at such a late hour,” she explained.

“I’m capable enough to commute by myself.”

“He called me this morning and told me he didn’t agree so we came to a compromise. My son, Eren, will drive you and Sasha back home every day. I already spoke to Mr. Braus and he thought it was a brilliant idea.”

“That’s fine by me,” she quickly answered. She was happy enough to have a job and would abide by any terms to maintain it.

“You will be working as a waitress with Annie Leonhart and Sasha Braus will be working as Commis chef in the kitchen. Speaking of Sasha, is she alright? She sent me an incoherent email about lobster this morning,”

“She has...uh...food poisoning,” Mikasa explained, “Because ate lobster from a drug store.”

“Oh okay, I didn’t know drug stores even sold lobster,” Mrs. Jaeger raised an eyebrow. Before she could make another comment, the door swung open and a sound of the bell ringing echoed throughout the diner.

Annie Leonhart walked in with a schoolgirl skirt, black fishnets stockings, a white t-shirt, and a pulled back ponytail. Her most prominent feature was her nose, her aquiline nose that Mikasa could recognize almost immediately, and her pale blond hair pulled into a haste ponytail.

Her blue eyes locked into Mikasa’s gray ones and appeared to sneer at her. Before Mikasa could make a comment Carla exclaimed “Welcome Annie! I'm just finishing up with her. Mikasa, you can make your way to the bathroom. You’re uniform should be hanging behind the door”

She quickly gathered her belongings and began making her way past Annie and quickly shuffled into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She sighed. Audibly. She made her way to the sink and stared into the mirror to stare at her flushed face.

The truth was Mikasa needed this job more than anything. And it wasn’t for trivial material goods, her backpacking in Europe dream she shared with Sasha, or even for college. Levi, the only person she has left, had broken his leg a couple of weeks ago. 2 weeks to be exact because of Mikasa’s impulsiveness.

“I’m fine, Mikasa.” He’d tried to reassure her. “I don’t give a rat's ass about the leg. I’ll be back to normal in no time kid.”

Levi’s been out of work for two weeks now and even though he won’t explicitly tell her, she knows they're slowly running out of money. She’s begun to notice items go empty and go unreplaced in the apartment. This morning they ran out of toothpaste.

She knew they were living from paycheck to paycheck but she never realized how unstable their living conditions were. Levi was a personal trainer at the local gym and the last time Mikasa worked was when she was 14, in her estranged aunt’s restaurant in Japan. Besides her Japanese aunt, Mikasa had no immediate relatives save for Levi who was her “Something-something cousin, 3 or was it 2 times removed” she would explain to strangers.

She looked around the bathroom for her uniform and her eyes abruptly fell on black pants, a white polo shirt, and a navy blue apron. She began to undress from her previous black skirt and yellow top into the uniform. She found her name pin hidden in the apron and clipped it onto her uniform. Tentatively, Mikasa made her way to the sink and began to splash her face with cold water and tie her shoulder-length black hair into a bun. God, she was pale.

If working with Annie for the day meant she could help Levi, she would gladly suffer.

***

“You need to start thinking about your future Eren”  
“Zeke, for the fifth fucking time, I know.”

“You keep telling me that but you’re not taking any actions for your grades. Armin? Tell me your GPA”  
“4.4, but GPA doesn’t show intellect Zeke,” Armin said apprehensively as he took a bite out of his apple.

“You’re absolutely right Armin. But not when your GPA is a two-point fucking six. Isn’t that right Eren?”

“It’s a 2.9 and it’s rising to 3.0 this semester. Plus I’m transferring to Armin’s school next year. I got it all under control.”

“Not when you consider the due date of an assignment the “do day”

“It hasn’t failed me yet. Armin give me a bit outta that apple”

Armin tossed the apple across the couch and Eren caught it. With nothing to do all summer, the two boys made a tradition to meet up in Zeke’s Chelsea apartment and raid his fridge while he sealed off ball sacks for a living.

“Are you sure we’re allowed in his apartment,” Armin questioned at first  
“No, we’re not. But he’s not here to stop us. Relax Armin. Have I ever failed you,” Eren mused as he played with the lock  
“Yes, a multitude of times,” Armin said

That’s how their relationship functioned. Carla couldn’t recall a time in her life when the two boys weren’t joined by the hip. Mrs. Arlert and Carla met in a pregnancy yoga class in their 20s and soon after birth, did everything together with their sons. They took swimming lessons together, learned how to ride bikes together, spent holidays with each other, and stopped believing in Santa together after Armin insisted that there was no way possible for a fat man and a couple flying reindeers to travel around the world in less than 24 hours and deliver billions of presents.

Armin used to sport a bowl cut throughout his childhood that sometimes outgrew to the point where you could not see his ocean blue eyes. This year, with Eren’s support, he cut his hair into an undercut. They celebrated with ice cream soon after.  
Armin always had his head in the clouds as far back as Eren could remember. He was always reading books or rattling off fun facts for Eren whenever they met.

“Did you know there are lakes and rivers beneath the surface of the ocean Eren?”  
“No, I did not Armin. That sounds interesting,” Eren would reply to fake interest  
“And did you know there are 20 million tons of untouched gold present in the ocean?”  
“Leave me alone Armin.”

The ocean was something Armin always rambled about. He always dreamed of being a marine biologist and traveling the world, so this summer he enrolled in a marine biology course at his local community college.

Despite his kindness, Armin was always a target of bullying when he was younger because he refused to fight back. “They’re only resorting to physical abuse because they can’t prove that I’m wrong.” So Eren did all the fighting for him.

At the age of six, Eren was there for Armin when his parents were killed in a car crash, and at the age of nine, Armin was there for Eren when his dad’s second family came into light and his family’s separation.

And that’s how Zeke found them laid on his couch at 5 pm.  
“Hello, Eren. And Eren’s friend”

Zeke Jaeger was Eren’s half brother and was his father’s first son. Although Carla and Grisha separated 7 years ago, Carla still welcomed Zeke into their family and treated him like her own son. Unlike Eren, Zeke was complying and has never felt the touch of a woman, if Eren of course didn’t count Carla and Dina, Zeke’s mother.

Dina Fritz, Grisha’s first wife, lived in Florida and was a duchess from a small country in Europe. Dina was a blond timid woman, with dazzling blue eyes. She favored the company of a book and her son rather than a party of people.

Dina was under the pretext that Grisha traveled to New York every 6 months for an internship he would host for underprivileged children at a New York City hospital and she thought this for the 13 years they were married. It wasn't until Dina surprised him in New York 7 years ago, she learned of her husband’s infidelity. She immediately divorced him, lashed out at Carla, and now refuses to set one foot in New York City.

“Sorry to burst this pleasant evening Zeke, but Armin and I have to run an errand for my mom,” Eren said as he checked his phone. 6:30.

“Pack it, Armin. We got to go. Thanks for the food Zeke,” Eren yelled on his way out  
“Bye Mr. Zeke,” Armin said as he followed  
“And don’t come back. Give Carla my love,” Zeke shouted after him.

“What are we doing again,” Armin inquired  
“We’re driving two new employees of my mom’s back home every day for the next two months. She’s paying me 15 dollars for each stop and there are two girls. Easy money,” Eren jokes  
“Oh is it Mikasa Ackerman and Sasha Braus,” Armin questioned as they walked down the stairs to exit the apartment building

“I can only recall the name, Sasha. I didn’t start listening until she mentioned money."  
“Sasha’s in my Chem class and Mikasa and I share the same schedule. So more like acquaintances,” Armin explained as they walked outside  
“Perfect. You can come along,” Eren said as he entered his car.

***

Mikasa stood on the sidewalk seething with anger muttering that bitch repeatedly underneath her breath. In one hand she held she held her bag and in the other, a plastic bag with her soda drenched uniform.

Annie Leonhart had a vendetta against her and she couldn’t understand why. If it wasn’t for Carla, she swore she would have punched her after she “accidentally” spilled soda on her. “Accidentally” my ass, Mikasa thought.

To make matters worse, Eren was nowhere to be seen. She had given up and started to take out her phone to find the nearest bus stop when a jeep pulled up.

“Mikasa! It’s great to see you again” Armin Arlert exclaimed through the window. “Unlock the door Eren. Hop in.”

She heard a click and entered the car. “Hi Armin”

“Where to Miss,” a teenage boy with long brown hair, tied into what she thought was a pathetic excuse of a man bun, asked. So this was Eren. He really was a carbon copy of Carla.

She stayed silent for a moment glaring at him through the few strands of hair that managed to escape her bun, hoping to convey her anger.

He shifted the rearview mirror and locked his green eyes with her gray ones and grinned. “What’s with the long face, Mikasa?”

She began cringing at the sound of her name. She put her plastic bag on the floor of the car, sat in the passenger seat, and buckled up her seat belt.

“It’s Me-ka-sa, not mi casa Eren,” She heard Armin quietly correct

“It’s 7:26. You were supposed to be here by 7 pm sharp Eren. At least that’s what your mother told me.”

“Does it matter? Mikasa was it? We’re here now.”  
“Please get me home.”  
“I’m dropping off Armin first. He lives 10 minutes away.”  
“Fine.”

She crossed her legs, her arms, began staring straight ahead and tuned both of the boys out. She would catch snippets of their conversations ranging from "Asshole", "Zeke", "alcohol", "mom", "weed" and peculiarly, she swore she heard “Ocean”.

The car suddenly came to a stop and Armin began leaving the car.  
“I’ll call you later, Eren. I’ll see you on Wednesday, Mikasa.”

“Hi Mikasa”  
“Hi Eren”

And then they remained in silence for the remainder of the car ride. She would sometimes catch his eye in the rearview mirror and quickly look away but some little part of her couldn’t help looking back. She thought about saying something to break the awkward silence but the next thing Mikasa knew the car came to a stop.

She climbed out of the car and began walking into her apartment building when she suddenly heard Eren yell “Bye, Mikasa!”

“Bye, Eren” and she couldn’t help but smile.


	2. Moonlit Boxes

Even with crutches, Levi was still the same pretentious ass he always was. She unlocked the apartment door and found him lying on the couch with his laptop on his chest. He decided to start taking online classes while he waited for his leg to heal. At the sound of her entrance, he snapped his laptop shut and angled his body to look at her.

“You look like a complete mess. What’s up the hair? Is that a new style you brats are trying these days? ”  
“But out shorty. This doesn’t concern you.”  
“Yesh are the teenage years finally getting to you? All I asked was a simple question. ”

She hung her coat on the wall near a picture of her and Levi on her adoption day that took place almost 7 years ago. He held her up in her arms, even though she was half his height, and looked like a disappointed father, while she looked like she’d been crying for the past three days. She probably was.

“Is that Pepsi I smell? Look at all the dirt you dragged. How many times do I have to tell you, Ackerman,” he admonished as he began to get up. He grabbed his crutches and began limping to the broom closet. “You take the shoes off outside the house. Who knows how much dog shit you’re dragging in.”

It was a rare sight to see 5’4 Frenchman sweep the floor with one hand and balance with his crutches on the other.

Levi Ackerman didn’t know how old he was. He estimated that he was around the age of 39 or perhaps 41, he wasn’t too sure but the beginning of his graying made him know he made a reasonable estimate. He was born in a brothel to a prostitute mother that soon died what he estimated to be 6 years after his birth. He starved on the streets of New York until a man, who introduced himself as Kenny, kept him under his wing. He fed him, clothed him, and gave him a place to stay until one day he seemingly abandoned him.

Retracing his family tree 8 years ago, it dawned on him that Kenny was his mother’s brother, his uncle, the same man that abandoned him when he turned 13. He also learned Kenny died 4 years ago. A stroke it detailed. 2 years ago was the first time he mustered up enough courage to visit the remains of Kenny Ackerman. Mikasa watched him curse the grave and make the “tch” sound repeatedly, like always when something annoyed him. It wasn’t until the car ride home, she noticed that he had tears streaming down his face.

Through his ancestry search, he eventually found another connection to Mikasa’s father. He never bothered to reach out to him until a year later when he received a phone call, detailing their deaths and the little girl they left behind.

At first, Levi wanted nothing to do with the nine-year-old. “I can’t raise a kid,” he told himself. “I’m not fit to be a father figure.” And he refused for the next week until one night he couldn’t bear the guilt of damning another child to go through the same experiences he did. He pulled on gym shorts and a turtleneck, called the agency, wrote down the address, and drove to upstate New York to pick up Mikasa. It wasn’t until he saw the little girl in her white nightgown and pink cardigan with overgrown bangs, that he realized what he signed up to do.

“Let me help you out Levi,” Mikasa suggested  
“Do I look disabled,” he responded annoyed as he yanked the broom from the hold of her hand  
“Go take a shower. You look like absolute shit.”  
“Thanks, Levi. I can always count on you to help with my self-esteem.”  
“Happy to help, princess.”

She walked down the short corridor and entered her room. She threw her bag on her bedroom floor, grabbed her plastic bag, a change of clothes, and entered the bathroom she shared with Levi.

The bathroom was spotless. Mikasa was a clean freak but Levi took it to another level. He labeled all of their spices and shelves, would randomly wake up at 3 am to clean the kitchen, and would wake up at the crack of dawn every morning to vacuum the apartment including Mikasa’s bedroom.

She supposed that’s why they got along so well despite knowing each other for a short time. She put her uniform in the washing machine and climbed into the shower. She found herself lost in the shower and stayed inside for 15 minutes before Levi banged on the door shouting, “You’ve been in there for an hour. You’re not paying the goddamn water bill, Mikasa!”

She turned off the water, changed, and ran into her bedroom. “I ate at work. Night Levi,” she yelled from her room.

She grabbed her phone, dialed the number she was looking for, and plopped on her bed.

“Hello?”  
“Sasha, it’s me. How are you feeling?”  
“I’m doing a lot better actually. I finally got the lobster out of my system.”  
“That’s great Sasha. Take as much time as you need to recover and drink plenty of fluids too. Make sure to not overdo anything. Okay?”

“I’m doing fine really. Stop mom-ing me. So tell me, how was work ‘Miss working woman’,” Sasha mused  
“Interesting to the least. That bitch spilled soda on me. “Accidentally”  
“You mean Annie? Don’t tell me you hit her Mikasa?”  
“Of course not. That would breach workplace conduct, which I would never do” Mikasa lied. Mikasa knew deep in her soul, that if Carla wasn’t present it would be the first time in her life she fought a bitch.

“Did your dad tell you Eren Jaeger will be driving us back home every day?”  
“Yeah, he did. Bummer right. I was hoping we could ride the subway back together.”  
“Yeah. Totally a bummer.”  
“Really? You don’t sound as sad as I expected.”  
“I am Sasha.”  
“Why does it sound like you’re sarcastic?”  
“I’m not,” she said as she inspected her nails  
“Why does it sound like you’re more than okay with him driving us?”  
“Sasha Braus, I literally told you I was disappointed. I don’t like him. He was 26 minutes late to pick me up this afternoon. I feel like he would have forgotten me if it wasn’t for Armin.”  
“Sure. Okay. I believe you.”  
“Now why does it sound like you’re being sarcastic?”  
“What do you mean, Mikasa? I’m just copying your tone” she said innocently  
“Bye Sasha.”  
“Wait no Mikas-” Mikasa hung up and she could still hear Sasha’s laugh echoing in her ear.

She turned off her lamp and laid on her back, splaying her wet hair on her pillow. “You shouldn’t sleep with your hair wet” was one of the Asian superstitions she remembered her mother telling her.  
“You’ll get sick”. She sighed and pushed the thought of her mother to the back of her mind.

She thought about Sasha’s words about Eren. It made absolutely no sense. He completely forgot to pick her up, didn’t apologize, called her “my house” in Spanish, and had an arrogant smile. And not to forget the lump on his head he called a man bun. She was astonished Sasha would even suggest such a theory. He was disgusting, gross, a cocky bastard, and Mikasa Ackerman did not like cocky bastards.

She turned around, grabbed her charging phone, searched his name, and clicked the first link she found that seemed remotely like him. She couldn’t believe she was stalking him. She opened his social media and there was his cocky face staring straight at her. The follow button looked tempting, to say the least, but no. She would not submit. Mikasa was an Ackerman and according to Levi, Ackermans do not submit. She shut off her phone and returned it to its charging port.

Except what Levi forgot to mention is if it’s for a 5’11, long-haired brunette with green and a cocky smile, sometimes an Ackerman can give in. She waited 5 minutes. Got up. Picked up her phone again and clicked the follow button.

The color immediately drained from her face. “Holy shit, what have I done,” she gasped. Maybe she should unfollow him. Block him. Forget about the whole thing. As Mikasa internally panicked, her phone buzzed. She cautiously flipped it over with one finger, looked at her phone with one eye, and saw he accepted her follow request. She quickly shut off her phone from the shock and returned it to its charging port.

She could hear Sasha cackling like a witch in her ear.

  
***

  
He threw another piece of paper in the trash. He couldn’t think. Think. Think Armin, he told himself. He sketched out another draft for his final assignment but immediately threw it into the trash. Why couldn’t he think, Goddamnnit! He could feel the frustration swelling up in him as he pulled at his hair, stressed. He flung his notebook on the floor and snapped his pencil in half. “You’re useless. Useless. You can't do anything right” he muttered to himself dejected.

Armin looked in horror at the mess he made on his table, sighed, and began collecting all the papers he strewn across the floor when he suddenly heard a knock on his door. His grandpa entered the room with a face full of concern.

“Armin, son. It’s 3 am. Are you alright?”  
“Yes, I’m fine, grandpa. Sorry to awaken you at such an hour,” he replied trying to sound as normal as possible through his stifled tears. He made vain attempts to wipe and hide his tears. His grandfather kneeled next to him and began helping him pick up the thrown out sheets.

“Grandpa?”  
“Yes, Armin?”  
“I’m going to go for a walk okay. I’ll be right back.”  
“Armin, don’t be ridiculous. It’s 3 am.”  
“It’ll only be for 10 minutes. I need to clear my mind.”  
They both collected the remnants of the paper that remained and threw it in the trash.  
“Be careful out there Armin,” he said as he closed the door  
“Will do Gramps, will do.”

Armin’s earliest memory was being told by his Carla Jaeger that his parents were dead as she pulled him in for a hug bawling her eyes out. Armin cried for days on end with Eren there to hold his hand. Eren didn’t fully understand why Armin was crying but comforted him nonetheless. It’s been 10 years since then.

He slipped on a sweater, a pair of sneakers, his keys, his wallet, and his phone. He exited his apartment and entered the elevator. There was only one good thing that came out of his parent’s death and that would be their life insurance policy. Armin was set up for life and would probably never have to work another day for the next 20 years.

When his grandfather took custody of him, he asked him where he wanted to live. Armin naively chose the ocean and Grandpa Arlert hated the sea. He swore it made his arthritis act up, so to come to a compromise, his grandfather suggested near Central Park. Looking back, Armin didn’t understand how it was a compromise and chuckled to himself reminiscing.

He exited the apartment building, crossed the street into Central Park, and began strolling through. The park was empty which wasn’t surprising considering it was 3 am but for a short blond girl walking in front of him.

He tried to match the rhythm of her footsteps from behind her and found the rate that she was speed walking was futile. Armin suddenly noticed she dropped her wallet. He picked it up and began speed-walking/running towards her. But as he sped up, she increased her speed.

It was like an episode of Tom and Jerry Armin thought to himself. He then began outright running screaming “Hey you! You! Miss!” And she suddenly stopped. Armin, out of breath, reached to tap her on her shoulder and was suddenly on the ground with her foot on her chest and his arm raised towards her.

“You have 3 seconds to tell me who the fuck you are and what you want before I break your arm.” she sneered. Armin was confused. Dazed. He had no clue how one second he was standing and the next he was on the floor.

“1.” She counted and began twisting his arm.  
“Wait! Wait! Ow!”  
“2.” She twisted again  
“You dropped your wallet!” he screamed. He held up her dropped wallet with his free hand and offered it as a sign of mercy.  
She let go of his limp arm and stared at him in shock.  
“Shit. Fuck. That hurt like a bitch,” Armin said cursing for the first time in his life  
“Holy shit. I’m sorry. I thought you were trying to rape me or kidnap me,” she said she offered him her hand  
“What gave you that idea,” Armin asked as he grabbed her hand  
“I don’t. Maybe you running after me at 3 a.m. at full speed. Just a thought.”  
“That’s a strong grip you got there,” Armin said, trying to laugh through the pain.  
“Thanks. I get that a lot.”  
“Really?”  
“No.”

She swung his arm behind her shoulder and helped him onto a bench. She sat beside him and for the time in the streetlight, he could see her. She had pale blond hair pulled into a knot on the back of her head, a side bang that covered the left side of her face, beautiful pale blue eyes, and her most prominent feature had to be her aquiline nose.

“What are you doing up this late anyway?”  
“I couldn’t think straight. I came outside for a breath of fresh air. You?”  
“I got into an argument and I also needed a breath of fresh air.”  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
“No. Not really. Do you?”  
“You really think I’m dumb enough to share my personal struggles with a stranger,” and Armin laughed at her response, to which she gently smiled.

They then stayed in silence, listening to gentle honks, critters, and other sounds that echoed throughout the city. The warm summer breeze that was usually present seemed absent tonight but Armin thought it was most likely because of the heavy rain clouds threatening overhead. He heard a gentle sniffle and realized the girl next to him was crying. When she realized he was looking, she immediately wiped her tears and looked straight ahead.

Armin took off his sweater and offered it to her.  
“Oh no. It’s completely fine.”  
Armin ignored her response and swiftly put it over her shoulders.  
“You need it more than I do,” he laughed gently.  
“Thank you”

It was at this moment that Armin was glad he did the weight lifting program with Eren last summer. Long gone were those puny muscles but strong manly muscles that apparently couldn’t stop a 5-foot girl from dropkicking him.

He found her presence comforting. There was no need for an exchange of words between them. He could tell she was hurt and didn’t want him to interrogate her and she did the same for him. To distract the both of them, he began rambling off about his day, the problems he was having and even told her about the mental breakdown he just had. She simply stayed silent and listened to him. She would sometimes make a remark or two but she mostly just listened to him speak.

He was thinking of more things to say when it suddenly began pouring and the short blond girl immediately stood up and started running towards the direction she was originally walking towards.

“Meet me here tomorrow. Same time!” She yelled as she ran down the path.  
Armin looked at her in awe as she disappeared down the path and responded with an “Okay!” that he was sure she couldn’t hear. He began walking towards his apartment complex drenched and found his grandfather snoring on a chair facing the door.

“Grandpa. I’m back,” he announced  
His grandfather was startled awake and once he saw Armin, wrapped his robe, and began making his way into his bedroom. “You can explain to me what happened in the morning,” he said as he shut his door.

Armin changed his clothes, climbed into bed, and looked at the clock. It had been exactly 1 hour since he left and there was nothing but his missing sweater and a scrape on his back that indicated that what took place in central park wasn’t just an illusion.

  
***

Eren woke up at 10 am the following morning in his Upper East Side apartment with a headache.  
It was raining, pouring more like it, he noted, and on his way into his bathroom. His eyes seemed dull, and he could see his dark circles becoming increasingly larger. He showered, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and made his way into the kitchen.

He couldn’t remember the last time he woke up and found his mother home or anyone home for that matter. The apartment he lived in was large enough to make the average New Yorker cry. His mother’s divorce left them “comfortable” as his mother liked to describe. Following his parent’s divorce, his mother, already fragile, faced the death of her parents one after the other in a span of a few weeks. She went into a depressive state, a period that lasted 2 years when she wouldn’t do anything but eat and sleep.

She hired a nanny for Eren, Hannes. Hannes was a 60-year-old German drunk, who immigrated to New York 10 years ago. Eren and Hannes did everything together for those 2 years. Although he did drink a lot, Hannes made him breakfast, helped him brush his teeth, brought him to school every day, and performed every duty that was originally assigned to his parents. He got into arguments with Armin about the existence of Santa, the tooth fairy, and weirdly, the IRS.

“If I don’t see the notice, it simply doesn’t exist,” Hannes would say

Hannes got hospitalized from liver cancer when Eren was 12 and died when he was 13. Hannes’s death was what snapped his mother out of her depressive episode into what Eren called an obsessive one. She made the impulsive decision to invest in a restaurant or as Eren called it, her distraction. She spent all of her time there, working, cooking, and hiding, from the hours of 6 am to 10 pm. He forgot the last time they had a proper conversation.

He grabbed a granola bar and his car keys exited the apartment and began making his way downstairs. He checked his phone and found missing phone calls from his father, which he chose to ignore.

“You’re going to have to speak to him sooner or later Eren,” Zeke told him one day.  
“That day will come. It’s just not today.” Eren replied

He ran into his car, shut the car door, and began driving to his mother’s distraction.

He parked his car, 5 streets down from the restaurant, opened his umbrella, and began walking to his destination. The weather wasn’t unusual but it was unusually cold for summer.  
“Global warming,” he heard Armin’s voice whisper into his head. The usual warm glow that illuminated the streets he practically grew up on was gray and wet and it seemed all color was sucked out from the earth. Everyone around him shielded their faces with their umbrellas and sped walked down the street, all with their own lives, families, and duties bestowed upon them by themselves and others.

He found the restaurant and immediately was greeted by voices and shouts from employees and customers alike. The restaurant was full, mostly by corporate officials who came in for breakfast.  
Rico Bzrenska was her mother’s right-hand man and was the store manager and was currently sitting behind the counter writing out numbers on the piece of paper in front of her. Rico hated Eren's guts from the moment she saw. It didn’t help that Eren tended to sleep with her waitresses, which of course made her livid.

“Eren, if you’re here to start trouble you can turn around,” said Rico said when she saw him  
“Wow Rico. I never knew you thought so low of me,” Eren said as he approached her  
She laughed dryly, “Your mother is in the back if you’re interested.”  
“I’ll talk to her later,” He said as he grabbed a piece of bread from one of the tables.  
“Don’t eat the merchandise Eren unless you’re willing to pay.”

He sat by the counter and watched the commotion occur in the restaurant. Maybe he should get a hobby like Armin suggested or maybe sign up for- “Eren!”

He looked up to see his mother’s frustrated face staring at him. She grabbed his chin and raised his face and began commenting on his paleness, his dark circles, and the remnants of aftershave she could still see. “Mom, cut it out. I’m fine,” he sighed as he moved her hand from his face.

“In that case, we got a delivery today. Go help Mikasa carry in the boxes.”

It was still drizzling outside but he found the same girl from yesterday sitting in the truck moving the boxes forward for accessibility. She had her phone on speaker speaking to who he presumed was her dad on the other line while pushing the boxes forward.

“Why didn’t you put back my laundry in the washer after you took yours out?”  
“I told you I didn’t see it. Was this so important that you had to call me at work?”  
“Yes, it fucking is. How the fuck didn’t you see it? It was in the basket right next to the washer.”  
“You asking me isn’t going to put the clothes magically back in the washer you know.”  
“Don’t forget to keep the same attitude when it’s your bra you leave strewn on the floor,” he said as he hung up.

Eren started laughing.  
Mikasa froze and slowly turned around. Eren watched as she began to turn the same shade of red as a tomato.  
“So first you’re late and now you’re stalking me,”  
“I'm a stalker and many other things, Mikasa, but I’ve never committed the criminal offense of leaving my bra on the floor.”  
“If only you had time management skills as good as your sarcasm.”  
“You’re still hung up on the 26 minutes. I still got you home.”  
“You got me home late,” she corrected as she handed him two boxes.

She then hopped out of the truck and grabbed two boxes for herself and began walking back into the store with him. He glanced over at Mikasa carrying the boxes without struggle as he tried to wipe the sweat from his forehead. She was around 5’7, and probably had Asian ancestry, Eren noted. Her black stopped right above her shoulders was currently tied into a knot behind her head. He couldn’t help but repeatedly stare back into the dark gray eyes that kept looking up his way.

The moment they entered the back room, he heard her name being called, and before he called to say anything, she disappeared into the crowd of the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!! I'm so sorry for the slow plot progression but was a build up chapter. The real action begins next chapter. I just needed to preface everyone's plotlines in the story. I hope to update tomorrow! Thank you!


	3. Cupcakes and Lucid dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa attends her first, and most likely last, party.

“Waitress! We’re ready to order,”  
Mikasa quickly glanced around, straining her eyes to look for Annie in the almost empty restaurant, but her search was futile. She quickly wrote the entries and handed them to the sous chef and began speed walking to the group of men that signaled her. Just one more hour and she would officially be done with her first day of work.

She already had to listen to Sasha’s complaints in the bathroom during their lunch break and was beginning to be repulsed by the smell of coffee. Sasha had already given up eating in a burger in the back.

“Hi! My name is Mikasa and I’ll be your server for the night. Can I take your orders,” she asked with artificial enthusiasm. The group of 4 men seated at the table seemed like your typical corporate officials with all of them dressed in matching suits.

“Can we get 2 grilled chicken sandwiches and 2 meatball subs. 4 beers too.”  
“I’ll get it to you in no time,”  
“Thank you, sweetheart”

The moment she turned around she dropped her fake smile, returned it to her natural scowl, and quickly delivered the entries to the kitchen. She began to make her way to the back to look for Sasha but decided against it and went searching for Annie instead. Mikasa hadn’t seen her since 5:30 and it was already approaching 7. She searched the kitchen, the bathrooms, the dining area, the storage room, and even asked the chefs if they had seen her.

She climbed the stairs, opened the door to the roof, and found Annie Leonhart and Hitch Dreyse sitting on the steps. She’d been juggling all their customers while Hitch and Annie sat outside doing goodness knows what. Her feet ached, she had condiments all over her shirt, and her head was pounding from the constant screaming of toddlers and kids that shrieked throughout the store.

“Shut up, Mikasa, and just sit down,” Annie snapped  
“I didn’t even say anything,”  
“Your face said it all, just sit and relax,” Hitch said as she rolled her eyes  
“You two should get back to work. Carla-”  
“Left like two hours ago and Rico never leaves the kitchen. Stop stressing and sit,” Hitch interrupted  
Her mind raced to the 4 customers that were still seated inside and the responsibilities she held. But the sudden ache of her legs and the thought of her last break that took place 4 hours ago, convinced her otherwise.

She took the seat next to Annie and sighed. “This is a one-time thing.”  
“That’s what I told myself when I first started working here 6 months ago,” Hitch sighed  
Hitch was another waitress working with them who mostly kept to herself. Mikasa would sometimes find her in the bathroom on the phone with her boyfriend and would always make condescending comments towards whomever she encountered. Despite her attitude, there was an enchanting allure to Hitch. Maybe it was her bitchy attitude or flirtatious glint that laid underneath her hazel eyes that made her so magnetic to anyone she met.

“Annie here was telling me about the mysterious boy she met in Central Park,”  
“There’s nothing else to tell. We just spoke,”  
“Are you sure? Nothing else you’re not telling,” Hitch teased  
“No. Nothing else happened,”  
“Boring. You didn’t even catch his name,”  
“Isn’t that sort of dangerous,” Mikasa asked  
“If I felt like I was in danger, I’d break his knee cap,”  
“What were you doing in the park in the first place” Mikasa inquired  
“It’s none of your business,” to which Mikasa rolled her eyes.  
“Sigh. You guys are boring. Mikasa,” Hitch suddenly turned to her, “Tell me about your crush on Eren,”

Mikasa froze. Was it obvious? “What are you talking about?”  
“Come on Mikasa. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes,”  
“I don’t like him, I just met him yesterday ”  
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I told you I’ve slept with him,”  
Mikasa felt her ears beginning to glow red to which Annie laughed at, “No I wouldn’t”  
“I’m kidding Mikasa. I’m just messing with you. I would’ve if it were allowed” she then paused and said “Or if I wasn’t in a loving relationship,”

If it were allowed?

“Unspoken rule. You don’t sleep with your boss’s son. Just like you don’t mix business and family don’t mix sex and work. Come on, Mikasa. This is standard in any workplace,” Hitch explained once he saw her confused face

“Plus, I heard he was a problem child before I started working here. Would go through waitresses like shoes as an attempt to gain attention from his mother, yada yada yada. But you didn’t hear it from me,”

“He’s a grade-A retired player. I heard a girl got fired because of him,” Hitch continued  
“But that doesn’t really matter. You said you don’t like him,” she turned to face Mikasa, gave her a taunting smile  
“Stop teasing her Hitch. Let’s go back inside, it’s 6:40”  
Annie saw Mikasa's uneasy face and raised an eyebrow  
“You good.”  
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was thinking about the soda you spilled on me yesterday ‘accidentally’”  
“God. I try helping you once and bring up something from ages ago.”  
“It was yesterday”

The three girls entered the restaurant and all went their separate ways. Mikasa came inside to find Sasha collecting plates from the table that she was originally hosting.

“Some friend you are,” Sasha said when she noticed her. “Where were you?”  
“Bonding with our coworkers. I’m sorry, Sasha. Let me help you,” Mikasa apologized as she started collecting plates. They took the plates into the kitchen and left them in the sink.

“Jean’s throwing a little get together,” Sasha revealed. “He texted me 10 minutes ago telling me to come and bring you.”  
“Not interested Sasha. It’s a Tuesday, we have work tomorrow”  
“But it’s still summer! Plus it’s like 5 people. Come on Mikasa! Stop being a hag,” she teased  
“Even if I wanted to go, I don’t think Levi would let me.”  
“Then don’t tell him. Tell him you’re sleeping over at my place. I don’t want to go alone. You can spend the night after the party and then we’ll go to work together,” Sasha negotiated  
“I never knew you could be so deceitful. Your parents should keep a close eye on you.”  
“Is that a yes?”  
“Only this one time. This is a one-time thing.”  
“Yes! I love you” Sasha exclaimed as she pulled her in for a hug. “On another note, did you bring snacks as I asked?”  
“They’re in my bag. I’m going to go change.”  
“I’ll be sitting in the front waiting for Eren.”

Mikasa hurried into the bathroom and began changing into jeans and a white t-shirt she came in. She felt uneasy about lying to Levi and felt guilty about leaving him alone on their Tacos Tuesday night, but as Sasha said, she should stop being so boring. She took out her phone, dialed his number, and listened to the ringing.

“What do you want?”  
“I’m sleeping over at Sasha’s tonight”  
“Fine by me.”  
“Thank you, Levi”  
And with that, he hung up. She felt guilty about lying to the midget, but technically, she wasn't lying at all she told herself. She's still sleeping over at Sasha's this evening. Just after going to Jean's house.

She grabbed her bag, began walking her to the front of the restaurant, and stopped when she saw Sasha talking with who she assumed was a cook in the kitchen. She waited until they finished talking and walked up to Sasha.

“Who’s that?”  
“No one important. Come on, Eren’s got the car,” she excused and grabbed her hand and led her outside.

The hot air hit them like a brick as they both rushed to get into Eren’s car. They entered the car and were immediately greeted by his air conditioner. “Bless your soul Eren,” Sasha sighed as she collapsed into his seats.

“Sasha put your seatbelt on,”  
“I’m on it, Mikasa,”

“Where to today, Mikasa,” he said, addressing her for the first time since she entered the car.  
She could only see the back of his head but she knew he had that stupid boyish grin on his face.

“We’re going to my house,” Sasha answered as she leaned her head on Mikasa’s shoulder.  
“Would you look at that? You’re 5 minutes early,” Mikasa said as she checked her phone  
“I couldn’t let my ego be hurt after, some girl told me I had poor time management skills,”  
“She must be a very intelligent girl to tell you a piece of advice you so desperately needed”

“What are you two talking about,” Sasha interrupted. “I don’t like being left out.”  
“Nothing Sasha,” Mikasa answered as she handed her a granola bar

The remainder of the car ride stayed in awkward silence except for Sasha’s occasional lame jokes and incoherent munching.

“We’re here ladies,” Eren announced when they arrived outside of Sasha’s building.  
“Bye, Eren” Sasha shouted as she pulled Mikasa out of the car. She managed to turn around and send him a gentle wave before she was pushed into the building.

***

She began regretting her decision immediately the moment he heard all the noise coming from Jean’s apartment.

“Sasha, let’s go back,” Mikasa began pleading on the doorstep.  
Sasha hooked her arm into Mikasa’s, and started dragging her into the room, “We did not spend an hour getting ready and waste $28 on an uber for you to leave.”

The moment she entered the doorway the smell of bodies, sweat and weed hit her nostrils and caused her to gag. “Sasha, this looks more like a club than a small get together.”

“Come on! Let’s go find Jean,” Sasha screamed into her ear as she led her throughout the crowd.

“Sasha! Mikasa!” She heard a voice yell behind them and was suddenly engulfed in a hug by the mysterious figure.

Just by the feel of his arms on her back, she knew it was Jean Kirsten.

“Jean?” she questioned.  
“Connie! I found them” the voice confirmed her suspicions.  
“Jean, I thought you said it ‘was a little get together’” Sasha yelled over the music  
“It did start that way but it got out of hand,” Jean explained  
“Mikasa! Sasha, you guys made it,” Connie exclaimed as he approached them  
“I think I’m going to leave,” Mikasa said.  
“Come on, Mikasa,” Sasha pleaded. “1 hour. I promise we’ll go home after.”  
“One hour and then I’m leaving,” Mikasa conceded.

“Come on we’re playing beer pong,” Connie said as he led them to the Jean’s lounge  
“The game is between Ymir and Reiner. Can you guess who’s losing?”

“Reiner,” the two girls said in unison.  
Sasha grabbed Mikasa's hand and began leading her to throughout the apartment and shaking her to the sound of the music as they walked further into the apartment.

“Jean, where’s your mom? I know you wouldn’t be allowed to have a party like this if she was in the city,” she asked suddenly  
“Long Island for a family reunion,”  
“Why aren’t you there,”  
“I was sick for the past 3 days. I had some of that lobster Sasha brought so she decided to leave without me,”  
“Why is everyone eating drug store lobster? What drug store even sells lobster,”  
“A shady one in midtown. I’ll take you there one day,” he said with a wink

From the first time Mikasa met Jean, it was apparent to everyone but her that he had a crush on her.  
“I like your long hair,” he told her the first time she met him.  
"Thanks?"

He got her flowers when they were 12, gave her chocolates when they were 13, and asked her out when they were 14. She was appalled when he asked her out, while Sasha laughed at her for being so oblivious. So at the ripe old age of 14, Mikasa went on her first date to the movie theaters, chaperoned by his mom of course, and experienced her first breakup 8 days later.

When they entered the lounge, Ymir, a tall freckled brunette, was playing, more like winning she thought, against Reiner, a tall blond. Reiner is what she considered the himbo jock. He was like a big brother to everyone and even taught Mikasa to tie a "traitor's knot" on a school camping trip. Ymir seemed bitchy at first but Mikasa considered her one of the most selfless people she knew. She bounced the ping pong ball on the table and it entered one of the last two cups remaining.

“Drink up, bitch boy,” Ymir yelled across the table  
“Don’t call him that,” a small blond girl, who Mikasa recognized to be Historia, shouted while laughing. Historia was the epitome of beauty with her blond hair and blue eyes. She wasn't only beautiful but she was nice to everyone she met but seemed like an entirely different person to her close friends.

Sasha began making her way to a table of snacks in the corner of the room and Mikasa followed suit. Sasha grabbed the bag of chips and plopped herself on the couch, while Mikasa grabbed a vanilla cupcake and at the first bite realized they tasted off but knowing Jean most likely baked them, she didn’t bat an eye.

As expected Ymir won the round and Jean began setting up for the next round.  
“You want to play Mikasa,” he asked her  
“I don’t drink,”  
“Come on, Mikasa,"  
She didn’t know what force overcame her but she agreed. Maybe it was Sasha's encouragement about living her life to the fullest or simply because she was making an irrational decision, that she walked up the table. She walked over to Jean, grabbed the ping pong ball from his hand, and looked over at her opponent, Connie.

She aimed for the cup closest to her and as expected it landed in. “Cup up, Connie,” she teased  
Connie quickly took a swig of his drink, aimed for her cup, and missed.  
“Damn it. I’m just warming up Mikasa,” he said as he threw her the ping pong ball  
She caught it, took aim for the next row, and missed. She raised her cup and took a swig. Although Levi had given her a couple of sips of beer when she was younger, the liquid she was gulping down tasted nothing like she’s ever tasted before. Like battery acid, she noted.

She then missed her next turn. And the turn after that. And the turn after that. After she choked down her fourth cup, she knew something was wrong. She felt warm, fuzzy, lightheaded, and not to mention there were now two Connies standing across the table. The room began to blur around her and suddenly she found herself surrounded by crowds of faces both familiar and unfamiliar, swirls of smoke being puffed into the air, and loud pulsating music that made her feel like she was in a state of delirium.

“Mikasa, are you okay,” a concerned voice asked her.  
“Earth to Mikasa. Jean! Get her a water bottle,”  
“She looks faded. Was it something she ate,”  
“We had shared a burger at work,”  
“Did she eat anything here?”  
“She had a cupcake. Shit Mikasa, look at me”  
“Sasha, that was laced with weed,”  
“Why didn’t you guys label them or at least separate the two? She drank too. They're probably mixing in her system.”  
“Should we take her to the hospital,”  
“It seems like a bad experience of weed. She should be fine. Happened to my friend Bertholdt,”  
“Shit. Mikasa,”  
“I can’t take her home like this. She can barely walk. My parents will kill me,”  
“Sasha! Stop panicking. Take her back to Levi’s,”  
“Are you crazy? Then Levi will kill both me and her,”  
“Let her stay here, then,”  
“In this mess, Connie! People are walking in and out of rooms. God forbid someone finds her passed out in one of the rooms,”  
“Well, it seems like you're out of options. Just face the music and bring her back to Levi’s”  
“Fuck. Keep an eye on her for me. I’ll be right back,”

She could hear them speaking to her but she couldn't quite explain it. It was like she was viewing the world through a blurry fourth wall that should have been frightening but she's never felt so warm and relaxed in her whole life. Any time her head was moved in the slightest, she would overcome with a wave of nausea and could feel her eyelids beginning to weigh down. The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was being lifted off the couch into someone's arms and a stupid boyish grin clouding her vision.

“Hi, Mikasa”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I planned to post yesterday but I got too into chapter 137 leaks (They seem wild lol). I'm planning to add more Aruani content next chapter. Thank you for reading!


	4. Failed Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie embarks to Central Park and Eren receives a phone call.

Annie laid in bed, staring at her ceiling, and listened to the heavy snores of her father that echoed throughout the apartment. She began to quickly blink her eyes to get accustomed to her darkroom. At the sight of her alarm clock, glowing blue, strike 2 am, she got out of bed and he quietly opened her closet, pulled out a pair of black ripped jeans, a black long-sleeved shirt, and put them on. Blindly feeling on top of her dresser, she managed to find her silver ring, quickly slipped it on, and grabbed her hairbrush in a vain attempt at brushing her hair. After slipping on what she assumed were matching socks, she grabbed her sneakers and the blue sweater that she left hanging on her desk chair, to dry last night and opened her bedroom door.

She grimaced at the creaking sound that the door emitted and noted to oil the screws in the morning. She tiptoed around the apartment, trying to dodge all the training equipment that she no longer used but her father insisted on keeping. She found her bike outside the storage closet and stealthily began making her way through the apartment wheeling her bicycle behind her.

Sure it was dangerous, she thought. All she had with her was her phone, bus pass, keys, and the bicycle she was planning to ride through the park, but it was worth the risk.

As she slowly unlocked the apartment door, her father’s bed began creaking. She froze and her already clammy hands began to profuse with more sweat as she waited for the confirmation that her father caught her, but his bedroom didn’t open. She slowly exited the apartment and didn’t allow herself to breathe until she reached the sidewalk. She hopped on her bike and began the 45-minute bike ride to Central Park.

Despite knowing the streets like the back of her palm, Annie felt uneasy. “What if he’s a serial killer,” she thought. It was always the ones that looked like they couldn’t hurt a fly that hid a dark secret past.” But she immediately dismissed it once she remembered the “Save the Polar Bears!” stickers she found in his sweater that was now stickied to her bike. But then again, Hitler was a vegetarian.

“You’re a crazy bitch, Annie. Keep 911 on speed dial” she remembered Hitch telling her the day before

She entered the park and once she found the bench she was looking for, she hopped off her bike, leaned it against the bench, and sat down with his sweater on her lap. 2:55 am, her phone illuminated.

Was she really a crazy bitch as Hitch said for blindly trusting a boy she met almost 24 hours ago? Maybe she was crazy but she couldn’t help but be attracted to him. Maybe it was the way he so blindly trusted her, his impeccable ability to pick up social cues, or just the day he would every so often pause and glance at her for reassurance. Or the fact that he didn’t know who she was nor did he try to intrude into her boundaries. “I truly am crazy,” she said to herself.

The park was rather full today for it being 3 am but her only company was the homeless man she saw camped out 3 benches from her. Due to last night’s rainstorm, there was noticeable wetness in the air that glistened in all aspects of the park. The grass looks greener, the air was cooler, and Annie couldn’t help but feel at ease as she watched the ducks waddle in the lake across from her. And then she waited.

3:00 am.  
3:05 am. Maybe he was late. Or maybe he heard her wrong when she told him to meet her here.  
3:08 am.  
3:15 am. Maybe he isn’t coming. Maybe he just didn’t like her and her cold exterior.  
3:23 am. Maybe...  
3:28 am. Maybe she should head home.

She was pissed.  
“I can’t believe I lost hours of sleep over this. Asshole,” she heaved as she climbed up on her bike. She tossed his “disgusting sweater”, as she described it, onto the bench and began biking her way out of the park.

“Asshole.”  
“Asshole.”  
“Asshole.”

It wasn’t until she unlocked her apartment door, and snuck into bed at the prime hour of 4: 26 am, that she truly began to feel her chest weigh down.

4 hours later, across the city, Armin Arlert was startled awake at his desk, with his hair a mess and papers clinging to his face, at the sound of knocking on his bedroom door.

“Armin, son. It’s almost 9 am. You’re going to be late for your class.”

9 am. It couldn’t be 9 am, Armin thought.

“Shit. shit. Shit,” he muttered in disbelief as he quickly got up and yanked his curtain open. Instead of the dark blue skies, he was hoping for, the bright sun mocked him as it reminded him of his failed promise.

He began to panic. “I could have sworn I set an alarm,” he thought to himself as he racked through his phone, swiping past missing phone calls from Sasha and Eren. He clicked his alarm app and saw his alarm wouldn’t ring for another 8 hours.

He quickly slipped on his shoes, opened his door, ignored his grandfather’s shouts, and began running. He didn’t stop running when he accidentally bumped into a little girl, or when he accidentally lost his shoe, or when he bumped into someone causing them to drop their coffee to which he threw $10 at. He didn’t care that he looked like a crazy madman to all the joggers and passersby that lounged in the park.

And he didn’t stop running until he finally approached the bench from last night and saw his blue sweater splayed against on the grass next to the bench covered in dirt.

“Fuck.” She actually came. And Armin ditched her. He picked up his sweater and began dusting the dirt off of it. He briefly thought of her pale blue eyes looking in the direction of his apartment complex waiting for him to show up. He felt like shit.

As he walked back to his apartment he quickly went through his phone and decided to return Sasha's missing phone call.

“Sorry, Sasha. I was asleep. What is it you wanted?” He asked once she answered  
“Armin! Hi! Nevermind that, I handled it. Are you okay?”  
“Yeah, I’m fine. How about you?” He asked as he entered his apartment building  
“I’m doing great. Could you ask Artie for a tin can of his cookies for me? They’ve been on my mind since last week.”

Despite Armin and Sasha not being close friends, Sasha had an impeccable relationship with Armin’s grandfather, both of whom attended the same cooking classes every Sunday.

“Will do, Sasha,”  
“Bye! Tell Artie I said Hi!” and with that, she hung up as Armin rang the doorbell.

“Armin. What has gotten into you,” his grandfather questioned when he opened the door  
“Nothing grandpa,” he sighed as he sighed onto a seat in the foyer.  
“I’m thinking about calling you a therapist,”  
“I’m good. I spent, what? 10 years in therapy. I’m fine Gramps.”  
“I’m concerned Armin,”  
“There’s nothing to be concerned about,” he retorted as he played with his dirty sweater

He pushed a hand through his hair, frustrated. He didn’t even know her name, and chances are he would never see her again; he sighed as his thoughts lingered on her.

He got up and began making his way into the laundry room that was adjunct to the kitchen when he suddenly remembered Sasha’s message.

“Grandpa,”  
“Yes, Armin,”  
“Sasha wants more your cookies,”  
“She wants more of MY brown sugar maple nutmeg cookies,” Just by the sound of his voice, Armin could tell he was grinning from ear to ear. “I’m on it right now,” and true to his words he could hear the clanking of bowls moments later.

He threw the sweater into the washer and began dialing Eren.

***

8 hours earlier

He wrapped his hands around her waist pulling her onto him as she tugged his hair both in an effort to get closer to each other. Each kiss between them grew deeper and deeper as they stumbled throughout Eren’s apartment clinging onto any open skin they could find, trying to find his bedroom.

He pushed open what he thought was his bedroom, carried the dark-haired girl in his arms onto his bed, and began passionately kissing her neck, while she began pulling up his shirt. He didn’t hear it at first but his phone began to ring.

“Ignore that,” he whispered in her ear as he began to unbutton her top and trail his lips down her collarbone.

The phone rang. Again. And Again.

After the 4th ring, she gently pulled away, laughing and whispered, “You should probably get that,”

Who the fuck was cockblocking him? He heaved a heavy sigh, got up, and began making his way to his phone that he threw on the counter in the living room. “I’ll be right back beautiful, don’t go anywhere,” he yelled to the half-naked girl on his bed with a grin

“Sasha,” he asked once he answered his phone. It was 1 am for god's sake.  
“Eren! I thought you would never answer,” she yelled over loud music.  
“Sasha, I can barely hear you,”  
“Give me a second,” she yelled. She stayed silent for 30 seconds and nothing but loud music was playing from Eren’s phone. Suddenly it was silent.

“Okay, I managed to get outside. Eren I need your help,”  
“With what Sasha? This isn’t a good time,” he sighed as his mind trailed back to the girl currently on his bed

“It’s Mikasa. She accidentally ate a laced cupcake, drank a lot of hard liquor, and is now faded on a couch. I don’t know what to do. I can’t bring her back to my place. My parents will kill me. I can’t bring her back to her place, or Levi will slaughter me and her! He doesn’t even know we went to a party! I’m running out of options,” Sasha momentarily paused and then continued. “I called Armin and he isn’t picking up for some reason and I don’t have enough money for a hotel. I don't know what to do. And it’s completely my fault. She didn’t want to come in the first place and now she’s sick on a stranger’s couch at 1 am. And I don’t know if she’s dying” She couldn’t hold it in anymore. Sasha began crying.

“Sasha, calm down. Stop crying,” Eren sighed. He quickly looked down the hallway, saw his door half open, and rubbed his forehead. Mikasa faded? He didn’t think she was the type of person.

“Text me the address, I’ll be there in 30 minutes,”  
“Thank you,” she sniffled and hung up

“Mina!”  
“Yeah,” the girl yelled back  
“We’ve got to call it night,”  
“Aw. Is it your mom,” she asked as she came out of his bedroom buttoning up her shirt  
“No. Weirdly, I haven’t seen her since 6 pm today. I’m going on a search and rescue mission,”  
“Can I come?”  
“Sadly, this is a solo mission.”

She grabbed the bag that was strewn on the floor and slipped on her shoes.  
“I’ll be back in my apartment if you want to finish what we started,” she teased as she unlocked his apartment door

“With your dad home? I don’t want a repeat of last time” he said with a laugh as she shut the door behind her.

Mina Carolina was a short black haired girl with huge brown eyes that lived 2 doors down from Eren. They started as family friends when Eren first moved to his apartment complex at the age of 9 and first slept together when they were 15. What better way to lose your virginity than to the girl next door?

They haven’t stopped since then but neither of the two has ever expressed interest in being something more so they considered each other close friends, with benefits. And tonight was one of those nights that Eren wanted to cash in on some of those friendly benefits but fate had other plans.

He slipped on his sneakers, a black hoodie, and grabbed his car keys. He ran down the staircase down to the garage and entered his car and began driving to the address Sasha texted.

He arrived at the apartment complex, found Sasha standing out, and saw her face immediately light up when she saw his familiar car. He quickly parked the car and began making his way to a relieved Sasha.  
“Come on. She’s upstairs,” Sasha said as she began leading him through the complex  
“Is it safe to just leave her passed out on a stranger’s couch,”  
“I have someone watching her,” she said as she pushed her way into the apartment

Eren could hear the party before he could see it and immediately began to feel the onset of the headache that was forming. There were people, drugs, and filth everywhere in the apartment. He didn’t believe the same quiet, smart-mouthed, girl he met two days would ever be caught dead in one of these events.

Sasha pushed through door after door and he eventually found himself what he thought was a lounge area. And truth to Sasha's words, there laid Mikasa with her eyes slightly open, her face flushed red, and hair a mess. Her white top was long untucked out of blue shorts and her shoes laid near the couch she was currently trying to keep awake on.

“Who’s the guy, Sasha,” asked a tall guy playing pool as he glared at Eren  
“My boss’s son and my ticket out of here, Jean”  
“Are you sure you can trust him,”  
“If she didn’t, I wouldn’t be here,”

Sasha grabbed her bag and Mikasa’s shoes, and Eren picked up Mikasa holding her in his arms and they began to exit the apartment.

“Hi, Mikasa,” he teased the girl that was currently passing out in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is kind of short. I had school exams and didn't have much time to right. I hope you liked this chapter!


	5. Foreign Things and Green Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha heads home and Mikasa finds herself in a freezing apartment hours later

Her eyes were beginning to redden, and the abyss in her stomach grew deeper each passing minute, yet all Sasha felt was regret. She shouldn’t have gone to the party in the first place or left when she saw the rager Jean was hosting, but now all she had to show for the night was her friend passed out in the arms of a boy she met three days ago. 

It was nearing 3 am, and she already knew the lecture that anticipated her at home. She leaned her head against the wall of the elevator, closed her eyes, and groaned, imagining the food and the comfort of her bed that she would only enjoy for a couple of hours before she went to work. 

“Thank you, Eren,” she said, abruptly turning to the tall brunette next to her. “Anytime,” he said as the elevator opened and began making his way to what she presumed was his apartment. He unlocked the door and held the door open for Sasha with his foot. 

Eren clicked what Sasha assumed was a light switch and watched the place gradually begin to lit up. She couldn’t explain the unexplainable coldness of the room despite it being a warm night. Maybe it was because of how spotless the whole apartment was or the lack of personal touches, but the room seemed cold. The apartment reminded her of one of those catalogs she and Mikasa used to flip through when they were 12 and circle, declaring it their future home. There were tinges of gray, black, and beige ranging from the couch to the ceiling fan. Large windows engraved on the side of the walls and the large, seemingly uninhabited, room, ingrained the feeling of loneliness she felt. Although she knew they had money, she never envisioned it to be this much and wondered where they earned their income because it could not be from the dilapidating restaurant. 

“I’m taking her to the guest bedroom,” he suddenly said  
“Yeah, sure,” she replied as she followed him. 

He pushed one of the many doors exposing a simplistic room colored with the same tones, flipped on a light, and gently laid Mikasa on the bed. 

“Do you think she’ll be fine,” Sasha asked quietly, as she pushed her friend’s hair aside. She seemed significantly better than a few hours ago, and the vomiting has long stopped. Her face was still somewhat flushed, but she seemed to be sleeping soundly otherwise. 

“She should be fine,” Eren said, staring at the unconscious girl.  
“Are you sure your mom won’t know she was here?”  
“She has not been home for the past three days. I think it'll be fine,” he said as he pulled a window open.  
“Don’t you ever wonder where she goes after work,” she prodded as she began to exit the room.  
“I have my theories,” he said without explaining further.

“You know any other person wouldn’t leave their unconscious best friend alone with a person they barely know,” Eren jokes as he shuts the door behind him. 

“Well, I trust you not to ravage her,”  
“Come on. I'll order you a ride,” Eren said as he began taking out his phone  
“Do you have any food,” Sasha asked, glancing around the apartment. “I haven’t had anything to eat since 12 today.” 

Eren pointed to what she assumed was the kitchen and said “Knock yourself out,” and went back to tapping on his phone.

Sasha entered the kitchen and found it mostly empty except for a couple of sodas in the fridge and raw food. “Does he run on soda,” she grumbled to herself. She ran her hand on the kitchen island, trying to think of places she could find something to eat. She bent down, opening the cupboards and drawers alike, swishing her hand inside, in hopes of finding anything, but her search was rendered futile. She glanced around the last cupboard and nearly gasped when she found a bag of potato chips. The bag seemed old, so she turned it around, checking for an expiration date, and found the chips expired three months ago. 

“Sasha, your ride is here,” 

She shoved the potato chips in her bag and followed Eren downstairs to a black car waiting for her outside. He opened the car door for her and shut it once Sasha entered. 

“I’ll drop her off at work during your break,”  
“Thank you again, Eren. I don’t know what I do without you,”  
“Anytime,” he said as the car began moving.  
“Don’t ravage her,” she yelled as the car sped away.

She slouched against the car seat, reached into her bag, and began eating the stale potato chips with the pit in her stomach growing larger. She was already 4 hours late past her curfew and was dreading the lecture she would have to face from her parents. 

“Ma’am we’re here,” her driver announced.  
“Thank you,” she said as she left the car. “Let’s fucking go!” she whispered once she saw all the lights off on her 3rd-floor apartment. She quickly climbed the stairs, unlocked the door, and found the living room empty. She carefully tiptoed to the kitchen, grabbed the box of cereal, and snuck her way back into her bedroom. 

She instantly was met with the unbearable heat that seemed to be streaming in through the window. She could have sworn she left the air conditioner running when she left the apartment, and after flicking on the light she found the perpetrator of the artificial sauna sleeping on her bed. Kaya, her younger sister, was curled in her bed, abandoning her bedroom across the hall for the comfort of Sasha’s. The small blond joined the Braus family two years ago after the murder of her mother and developed a habit of sneaking into Sasha’s bed every other night. But unfortunately for Sasha, she disliked the cool air the conditioner emitted. Sasha could still recall the first night Kaya stood at her doorway and quietly asked to sleep next to her. 

After eating a handful of cereal every time she removed a piece of clothing, Sasha pushed her sister across the bed and collapsed into a deep sleep at the hour of 4:06 am. 

***  
The first sound that always greeted her in the morning was the sounds of her neighborhood. She would hear kids riding their bikes, the sound of corporate officials yelling into their phones, the sound of cars whizzing by, and the loud rap music that would be pulsing through the walls from her next-door neighbor. All of these sounds would ultimately be consumed by the sound of Levi vacuuming her bedroom at the crack of dawn. 

“Levi, it’s 9 am,” she would groan into her pillow.  
“Morning sunshine. Can I offer you a cup of pig piss” he would offer sarcastically continuing to vacuum with one hand and sipping his morning tea with the other. 

But this morning, she wasn’t awakened by Levi’s obnoxious vacuuming nor was she awakened by her neighbor’s loud music. She awoke to silence.

It was bright. Too bright, she noted as she slowly opened her drowsy eyes. It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t lying in her usual full-sized bed and instead of coming face to her usual lilac painted walls, she faced a gigantic window overlooking the city. 

Where the hell was she? She untangled herself out of her sheets, looked down, and found herself still in the clothes she wore to Jean’s party. The last thing she recalled was playing beer pong with Connie but still couldn't fathom how she ended up here. She swung her legs off the side of the bed, raked her hand through her hair, and quickly examined the room. It was almost bare except for the bed and the drawers that were on either side of it. She could already sense the gentle pounding of her head and the onset of a migraine that would soon ensue. 

“Did Sasha pay for a hotel?” she thought to herself but remembered Sasha was too broke because of her constant spending on food and this place looked out of both of their salaries. “Does Levi know she’s here?” “Did she get kidnapped?” It wouldn't be the first time she thought humorlessly. 

She glanced around looking for signs that she was being taken captive but found none. She was wearing the clothes she left in and there seemed to be no marks of struggle on her pale body. She quietly got up, twisted the doorknob, and to her surprise, it opened. She peeked her head into the doorway and, once she indicated the hallway clear, closed the bedroom door behind. 

It was cold. Unnaturally cold despite how much natural light was shining in through all the windows. The same three redundant colors were found in almost every aspect of the furniture, coding the apartment in a uniform-like sense that made her almost afraid to touch something just in case she broke it. This was in comparison to, mix and match, garage sale furniture they owned, which Levi thoroughly cleaned. The decor was very simplistic, and she would have found it very hard to believe anyone lived here if she hadn’t seen what looked like a freshly crushed soda can on a table. 

She was looking for a cell phone when she abruptly heard footsteps coming from the apartment door. At the sound, she bolted into the nearest room she could find and slammed the door behind her. The room, unlike the others, showed signs of human habitation of what she assumed was a teenage boy. The walls were painted a forest green color, the bed looked unmade, and there were still papers strewn on a desk in the corner of the room. She quickly scanned the room and began to panic as she heard footsteps steadily approaching the room. 

“A weapon,” she muttered to herself repeatedly as she quickly scanned the room for anything that could cause any sort of harm to her captor. Her eyes eventually landed on a baseball bat that she promptly grabbed. She dropped to her knees, with the bat in hand, and crawled behind the door.

“Fine. I’ll go next week” she heard a muffled voice say. She could feel her hands begin to sweat and her heart thumping in her ears. The object felt alien to her, as she recalled the last time she held a bat was when she was 8 at her little league baseball game with her dad. But, she seized it nonetheless, preparing to strike at whoever walked through the door. Maybe if she hit hard enough, they’d pass out, but she knew it was naive thought. She’d be damned if she went down without a fight. 

As she held her breath, the door slowly creaked open, and at the sight of the figure wearing a black hoodie, she closed her eyes and struck. The man grasped his head the screamed, “Fuck!” When she saw him still standing, she raised the bat overhead, preparing to strike again, but at the sight of her, he dodged the swinging bat, and in a blink of an eye, she found herself pinned against the wall with the bat grasped out of her hands. 

“Shit! What the fuck was that, Mikasa?” the man yelled  
Mikasa? She suddenly became aware of the livid green eyes staring down at her waiting for an explanation. 

“Eren?” she whispered, questioning her grasp of reality.  
***  
He gazed down at the gray eyes staring up at him in bewilderment and watched them seethe in anger, to confusion, and finally to succumb to guilt. He could barely contain his grin watching her trying to connect the dots on how she ended up in his apartment and for the matter pinned up against his bedroom wall. He didn’t expect her to awaken at this time, nor did he expect her to greet him with his brother’s baseball bat but he found it amusing nonetheless. 

“What are you smiling at,” she asked peevishly after a few seconds. He chose not to answer, opting to stare down at her and watch her face slowly turn from its natural milk-like hue deepen into a red one. At the sight of her cheeks beginning to redden, he succumbed to his laughter to which her confused expression changed into its natural scowl. 

“You know, I never took you for such a party girl,” he finally answered  
“And I’m not. I also never took you for such a slob,” she retorted as she turned her towards his unmade bed

“I’m still not done sleeping in that bed yet but I wasn’t the one who passed out from what? Was it a couple of shots and a weed brownie Sasha said? I didn’t know you were such a lightweight.” 

“It was a cupcake and I’ll have you know I ate it accidentally,” she began to explain to which Eren began to laugh. “You know I’m beginning to not regret hitting you with that baseball bat,” she said finally smiling. They were suddenly silent with the only thing Eren could hear besides her gentle breathing was the distant sounds of car honks and what he thought was the rapid beating of his heart. 

“Come on lightweight, let’s go get you something to eat. We have about 3 hours before I drop you off,” he said suddenly disrupting the awkward silence between them. He moved aside, allowing her to move freely for the first time since he walked into the room, and tossed the bat onto his bed. He opened the bedroom door and began making his way out 

“Would you stop calling me that and tell me why I’m here?” she asked as she followed him out of the room. Before Eren could answer, she halted in her tracks, quickly glanced around the apartment, and whispered, “Does your mom know I’m here?” 

“No, she doesn’t,” he answered curiously, watching her visibly exhale. His mother’s bed has remained untouched for the past week and he didn’t know if she would ever climb into those sheets ever again. 

“I think I’m going to leave,”  
“Why?” He stared at her quizzically. Was it something that he did?  
“I don’t think me being here is appropriate,” she explained carefully  
“Why wouldn’t it be,” he asked taking a step towards her  
“It’s just not appropriate,” her voice wavered, as she took a step back  
“Why not?”  
“It just is,”  
“Why?”  
“Can you stop asking me why and tell me where the nearest train station is,”  
“Why?”  
“You’re really annoying. Has anyone ever told you that?”  
“Yes, I do tend to have that sort of effect on women,”  
“Eren, I’m leaving,”  
“Just tell me why, I’ll personally drop you off at the nearest train,”  
“I have to be breaching some sort of workplace protocol by being here,” she ultimately answered  
“Why?”

Her eyes leered at him as she turned a shade of pale pink, hardly concealing the pure distaste she felt for the immature boy in front of her. “Come on Mikasa. I just don’t see anything wrong.” 

“You have a blatant disregard for my job, and I will not jeopardize it because you think it’s funny,” she snapped, jabbing her finger at him. 

“When did I even say that?”  
“You implied it,”  
“Now you’re putting words into my mouth!” he said with an exasperated sigh  
“I’m not putting anything in your mouth!” she contended. “I’m going home!” 

They both abruptly halted, turning to the piercing sound of the doorbell that echoed throughout the apartment. He turned to her and realized the sudden panic that was instilled in her eyes before she seemingly ran into the first room she saw. 

Eren couldn’t help but laugh as he unlocked the door and was greeted by the delivery man holding his breakfast order. “Order for Mr. Jaeger,” the man greeted, opening his bag and handing the contents inside to Eren. “Thank you,” Eren replied as he shut the door. 

He carried the bag to the door, Mikasa seemingly shut herself inside of and knocked on the door. “Mikasa,” he called before entering and found her pacing the room with the look of anxiety etched upon her face. “Am I out of a job?” she whispered when she saw him. 

He ignored her question and sat on the floor in the middle of the room, unpacking the contents out of the bag. She eventually made her way to him and sat across from on the floor. He watched as she drew her knees to her chest and gazed at him fiddling with the bag. 

“Hi,” he finally said  
“Hi,” she replied 

He removed all the contents from the bag, and laid them displayed on the floor. “Pancakes?” she asked curiously. 

“I didn’t know what you liked,” he said sheepishly  
“You’re not eating,” she asked once she pushed the contents towards her  
“I’m not hungry,” he responded. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate a full breakfast. He memorized the Saturdays he would awaken to Hannes making him and Armin, who stayed for the night, breakfast. He would ultimately burn whatever he was making, but there were those rare days when his scrambled eggs were still edible and they ate it up like it was a five-course meal. Hannes eventually stopped cooking for them when both boys got salmonella poisoning because of his Thanksgiving dinner. 

He watched as she wordlessly took the plastic knife and made a hasty attempt to divide the food in half, and pushed the jaggedly sliced pancakes towards him. They both ate in silence until Eren suddenly asked, “Who’s Levi?” 

“Don’t even get me started on him,” she replied as she rubbed her forehead. The migraine was beginning to set in and the hell she would receive from Levi once she came home would only contribute to it. “Why do you ask?” 

“Sasha said he was going to, and I quote, slaughter you and her if she brought you back home,”  
“He's a bitter middle-aged man and that’s currently crippled,” she replied. “My cousin or uncle who’s like 3 times removed from me. He's my guardian. The closest thing I have to family,” she added casting her eyes downcast. 

“Oh,” he replied trying to process the new information he learned. 

“Yeah. My parents are dead,” she remarked. It was a sentence she found herself continuously saying to strangers she met. The first time she uttered those words to her 4th grade teacher, she burst into tears immediately afterward but now found herself desensitized to those 4 mere words years later. 

“Nice,” he replied to which she choked on her pancake with laughter. He found himself mortified at the words he spoke but soon found her laugh contiguous and he was laughing along with her. 

“I swear, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said as their laughter died down.  
“No, it’s fine. I should probably apologize for whacking you with a baseball bat,” she said once she noticed the bruise on his head. 

She reached over her plate and gently brushed the bruise, like the many times she would when Sasha or any of her friends injured themselves. It was red and was beginning to swell up, on the part where his forehead and hairline met. It needs to be iced, she noted. He froze at the touch of her warm hand on his head and found her dark gray eyes peering up at him. 

“Are you okay,” she asked.  
“Yeah, it’s fine,” he replied hoarsely.

“You don’t seem like the type to play baseball,” she inquired as she resumed eating  
“That’s because I don’t. It’s my half brothers,”  
“You have a half brother,” she asked curiously  
“Zeke, we share dad. He has a massive boner for baseball. He’s been trying to get me to play for the past few weeks. Brotherly bonding he calls it,”  
“Aww, he sounds nice,”  
“Nice is one way to put it. Pushy is the term I personally use,”  
“Pushy. That’s how Sasha always refers to me,”  
“Eh, I see it,” he replied to which she gently laughed  
“You should probably make your bed,” she said moments later as she got up. “And put ice on that bruise, and maybe clean up your room while you’re at it,” 

She picked up the remnants of her trash and began picking up Eren’s before he stopped her. “I can do it myself, Mikasa. You go focus on getting ready. We have less than 40 minutes.” 

So she found herself showering in a foreign shower, putting on foreign clothes, and gazing into the eyes of green foreign eyes before she crushed in the familiar hug of Sasha's arms. 

“Oh thank god he didn’t ravage you,” Sasha whispered into her ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok Hi!!  
> I know I said I'll try posting every two days but it seems this chapter is an exception. I had of a hard time writing this chapter because as it turns out writing character interactions is kind of hard. This chapter is just a foundation for the relationship it seems and I will add more Aruani subplot next chapter. I hope the timeline isn't too confusing either. 
> 
> Thanks for all the kind messages and all the reads. I hope you like this chapter <3  
> Jen


	6. Donuts and Wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie makes a new milestone in her life and Levi reflects on one

She pushed her way through the doorway and was immediately hit in the face with the stench and heat of bodies, all intermixing with the already humid air. Although it was 9 am, the gym was moderately full. The clanks of machinery, rattling amidst the sounds of groans and voices engulfed her hearing. She strolled through the gym, carrying her bag of equipment, looking for the familiar private room. 

Passing one of the gym mirrors instantly confirmed her suspicions. She not only felt like shit but looked like it too. She’d never been the one to care about her appearance but today was an exception. She didn’t awaken to her 5 am alarm and found her apartment empty when she finally woke up at 8:00 am. She sent a quick text to Hitch asking her to cover for her to which Hitch replied with the two words. “Bitch really?!”

She found herself in the same outfit she was wearing 4 hours earlier except this time it looked like she just came from a funeral, with her dark circles imprinted underneath her eyes. She quickly made vain attempts in slicking back her hair with her hands but gave up halfway through. 

Once she found the door she was looking for, she pushed it open, and was greeted with the sounds of heavy groans and a swish of a kick in her peripheral vision. 

“Annie,” an astounding voice asked. She quickly turned her head and found the owner of the voice and leg, Bertholdt Hoover, Annie’s childhood friend and now ex-teammate. She always found herself craning her head to look at his gray eyes ever since she was a child and now at the age of 18, he was towering at over 6 ft. 

“You’re back,” he said as he pushed his hair back drenched with sweat with a small smile on his face. His eyes looked at her with anticipation as he picked up the training dummy that was laid on the floor, waiting for her to say something.  
“Who’s back,” a muscular blond asked as he entered from the back room. “Oh. You,” he said coolly once he noticed her. 

“Reiner,” she said, turning to the asshole standing in front of her before she returned her eyes back to the lanky boy looking down at her. “Bertholdt.” 

She quietly closed the door behind her, opened her bag, and tossed the plastic bag she carried for 8 stops on the train, in front of Reiner’s feet. She could already feel the burden on her shoulders lighten. 

“The fuck is this,” he sneered as he looked down at the bag.  
“Just something I’m returning,”  
“You can’t be serious, Annie,” Bertholdt piped up at the sight of her uniform creeping out of the black bag. “We can’t possibly win the-”  
“Don’t fucking beg her. She’s made her choice,” Reiner interrupted 

Her eyes quickly darted around the room she’d spent a majority of her childhood in, searching for a familiar figure. The walls, that she’d found herself slouching upon all throughout her life, were painted a gray that was currently peeling. All the natural sunlight that would color the room in honeydew was currently absent replaced with dreary grayness making the room seem smaller than it already was. 

There wasn’t much equipment present for the trio besides the stage that was placed in the middle of the room, and the dummy Bertholdt was setting up. In the corner of the room was a classroom desk, with papers scattered on top of it, and a big calendar marked with red Xs and one circle detailing a Muay Thai competition at the end of the month. It was supposed to be her match. 

There were pictures of the trio in their uniform sticking to the calendar above the calendar, all of them sporting the same small smile. She couldn’t remember if she was 9 or 10 in that picture.  
She was the anomaly among her team members being a 5’0 blond among tall giants. She remembered her first opponent at the age of 14, audibly laughing when she first saw her, and Annie repaid her in full when she had her pinned to the ground in 5 minutes. She was nicknamed the “Female Titan” for her quick agility and her combat skills that were able to rival men and women alike. 

Among the papers, if you strained your eyes enough, you’d be able to find a 6 by 6 picture that would be holstered on a water bottle on the desk with a picture of Annie and her father on it. 

“Is that all you came here for,” Bertholdt softly asked  
“Yes. I’m leaving,” she answered coolly and began making her to the door  
“Does your father know,” Reiner mocked causing her to stiffen in her tracks 

“Does her father know what,” a man demanded, staggering with a cane, as he made his way out of the backroom  
“Nothing Sir,” Reiner responded swiftly 

“Annie,” the man said turning to her  
“Coach,” she answered, turning to her father  
“You look well,”  
“Thank you,” 

The silence between them was deafening with the only thing piercing the tension was the sounds of Reiner and Bertholdt sparing on the stage. She quickly glanced at his leg and returned her eyes to his brown ones that looked nothing like her own. She then turned around and pushed the door open, ignoring Bertholdt yelling “Bye, Annie!” She didn’t look up from her feet until she was outside of the gym. 

The sounds of cars, traffic, and people yelling into their phones instantly replaced the clanks of machinery. She took a deep breath, reached into her bag for her phone, and began texting Mina as she quickly glanced around looking for the direction of her bus. 

I did it.  
I’m so proud of you!! <3 I’m buying donuts to celebrate  
There’s no need to be mushy. Reiner still has his panty’s in a twist  
Screw him. Still can’t believe he tried guilt-tripping you into staying  
Don’t blame him honestly. But things couldn’t be better with my dad!  
Is that sarcasm? You know I can’t tell sarcasm over text  
Yes, it is.  
Stop being such a downer Annie. Just forget about it  
Easy for you to say. You don’t have a constant reminder every time you see him walk  
Yikes. Forgot about that  
My bus just pulled up. I’ll text you after work.  
Bye!!!  
Don’t forget the donuts.  
I won’t <3

She inserted her MetroCard, paid the $2.75, found a seat in the back, and closed her eyes. She had about 8 stops before she reached her destination. 

Mina was the only reason she had the job in the first place. After the incident with her father, she desperately wanted out of the house, and it seemed the only way she could was to either run away or get a summer job. Without enough money to run away, she chose a summer job. But even that proved to be challenging when it seemed like no one was hiring teenagers. Her resume was bare unless you count the 8 years spent learning Muay Thai and competing in competitions. 

She was baking cupcakes at Mina’s apartment a few weeks ago, complaining, when Mina suddenly told her to wait. She watched as she exited the apartment, made her way next door, and 5 minutes later, Annie suddenly had a job. 

At the sound of the incomprehensible murmurs of the bus driver over the intercom, signaling her she finally arrived, she began to make her way off the bus. 

The restaurant was somewhat full and she only found Hitch serving tables.  
“You owe me, Annie” Hitch seethed when she spotted her.  
“Can I get a refill,” someone yelled across the restaurant to which Hitch began speed walking in their direction. 

It was already 10 am when Annie managed to get changed and Mikasa was nowhere to be seen. She began waiting tables alongside Hitch and doing the familiar tango of dancing from table to table to kitchen and back. 

“You should be cooking the food, Sasha, not eating it,” she snapped when she found Sasha sneaking fries in the kitchen.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sasha responded trying to wipe the residue on her apron.  
“Where’s Mikasa,” she asked curiously.  
“She’s...huh...busy,” Sasha answered warily. “She should be here in 15 minutes or so,”  
“Miss “I’m always on everyone’s ass” is late,” she said with a dry laugh. 

“Ladies! This isn’t the mall. Get back to work,”  
“Yes, Rico,” Sasha answered as Annie ignored her and began making her way back to the dining room. 

“So tell about your secret Romeo,” a voice said as she suddenly grabbed by the arm.  
“There’s nothing to tell, Hitch,” she responded as Hitch dragged her to one of the booths.  
“Come on. Just a few details,” she pleaded as she sat across from her.  
She sat silently in the booth with nothing but the gentle murmurs of customers filling their silence as she looked blankly at Hitch’s awaiting face. 

“Go on,” Hitch said waving her hand  
“Hitch, there’s quite literally nothing to tell,”  
“He ditched you. Didn't he?” she said with a gasp covering her mouth. Annie stared back blankly at Hitch as she reached over and rubbed her hand. “It happens to the best of us.”  
“Stop pitying me, It’s weird,” she responded as she pushed Hitch’s hand off her own. 

And she didn’t care. She was more concerned about how she would face her father than a boy ditching her at Central Park, at least that’s what she told herself. 

“It’s okay. We’ve all been there,” Hitch continued  
Before she could tell her to fuck off, Sasha ran quickly past their table. She watched curiously as she pushed her way outside to a silver car. 

“What are you looking at,” Hitch asked following her gaze.  
They both silently watched as Sasha opened the door and engulfed a familiar black-haired girl in a hug. 

“Is that Mikasa,” Annie quietly asked.  
“Yeah, it is,” Hitch responded. 

Hitch grabbed her hand and began pulling her to the glass to watch the commotion that was going on outside. They watched as Mikasa greeted Sasha and watched as the driver seats opened, revealing a familiar figure. 

“That bitch,” Hitch gasped when she realized it no other than Eren. She turned to Annie with her eyes ablaze with gossip when Annie abruptly hushed her. Annie’s eyes watched intently as she noticed a familiar wisp of blond hair exit the passenger seat of the car and stretch his arms, with a wide grin etched upon his face. 

It couldn’t be. There’s no way in hell. It wasn’t until he fully turned around, faced the glass, and watched his grin abruptly drop when his eyes locked into her's that she realized. It was no other than the asshole who ditched her last night dressed in the same blue sweater. 

***

Levi Ackerman staggered around his kitchen, straining his hand in an effort to reach a plate hung on the top shelf. When he finally grasped it, his doorbell rang signaling his guests had arrived. He wobbled his way to the table, placed the plate, made his way to the door, and was greeted by what Mikasa considered his only two friends. 

“Levi,” Hange exclaimed, hugging him once he opened the door. He squirmed underneath her touch and after letting him go, entered his apartment, and made her way to the table that he spent the last hour setting up. “You know I never took you for much of a cook.” 

“Hange! How many times do I have to fucking tell you? The shoes come off outside of the house” Levi admonished. 

“Yeah...yeah,” Hange sighed as she removed her shoes and put them on the shoe rack Levi kept next to the door. 

“Levi,” Erwin greeted warmly as he took off his shoes and handed him a bottle of wine. “I didn’t know you cook.” 

In reality, he’d been reading online recipes while his leg healed and was experimenting while Mikasa went to work. She usually did the cooking, but with her at work, he decided that he could at least learn a few recipes.

“There’s a lot you don’t know. You guys are early,” Levi noted, shutting the door. 

“Erwin showed up at my door 2 hours early saying we should get going,” Hange answered as she collapsed on the couch. “How’s the leg?” 

“Fine.”  
“You really shouldn’t walk around without crutches, Levi,” Erwin advised as he took a seat at the table. Levi rolled his eyes, returned to the kitchen, and opened the oven checking on his roast beef. 

“Do you need help,” Hange asked peeking her head into the tiny kitchen  
“Tch. Not from you. You almost burned down the apartment last time,”  
“Come on Levi. I just want to help,” she begged as she began rolling up her sleeves  
“No.”  
“Please.”  
“No.”  
“Please.”  
“Fine. You can peel the potatoes,” It was best to give her a job she couldn’t burn. 

“I can also help,” Erwin said, entering the already kitchen rolling up his sleeves.  
“You know this roast beef kind of looks lik-”  
“No Hange. I don’t want to hear about your experiments,” Levi interrupted.  
“Come on, you’re telling me it doesn’t resembl-”  
“No.” 

Hange Zoe was always talking about an experiment she was conducting in the lab, and unfortunately for everyone around her, she constantly compared every item to her experiments. 

“Doesn’t this toothpaste have the same coloring of cockroach feces,” she would comment at grocery stores. If it wasn’t for her lab assistant, Moblit, Levi was sure she would have gotten injured long ago.

“Hange, watch your fingers with that knife,” Erwin chimed in. 

Erwin Smith was a professor that insisted on behaving like everyone’s father instead of friend. Levi met him in a bar downtown after he was hired to murder him in his 20s for a quick buck. They don’t talk about that incident anymore. 

Erwin later introduced him to Hange and the 3 of them made a tradition of having dinner together once a month. And 15 years later, they were still having wine and laughing at Hange’s dumb jokes. Hange was the one who encouraged him to open up to Mikasa after she began living with him and Erwin practically acted like a second father to the girl. They were an odd trio; but they functioned well together with Hange cracking jokes, Levi being a pretentious ass, and Erwin every so often telling a Dad joke. 

Levi was in the middle of cleaning up the peels Hange dropped on the floor when he suddenly heard the door unlock and the gentle laugh of a teenage girl echoing through, followed by the sound of what he thought was a male voice. His head perked up as Hange almost ran him over in an effort to exit the kitchen. 

“Mikasa,” she exclaimed with a potato and knife still in one hand.  
He limped out of the kitchen and found Mikasa hugging Hange, with an aloof male standing awkwardly in the background. Levi stared him down and subtly noted the wretched thing on his head that he most likely considered a man bun. He didn't have enough hair to make it work, Levi remarked. 

“Who’s the guy,” Levi asked.  
“I’m Ere-” the boy started to say and extend his hand.  
“I didn’t ask you,” Levi countered, not looking in his direction.  
“He’s Eren. And he’s leaving after I give him his money.”  
“Why are you giving him money?”

She ignored his question and made her way to Erwin. “Erwin” she greeted. “Mikasa, you look well.” She then made her way to her bedroom and came back with a crumpled $10 bill and shoved it into the boy’s resisting hand.

“I told you it’s fine, Mikasa,” he tried to whisper awkwardly watching the room of people.  
“Nonsense,” she responded, clamping his hand shut. “We’re good now,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.  
“I’ll text you,” he said but it sounded more like a question Levi noted.  
“No,” she responded with a smile and unlocked the door for him. 

“You’re kicking him out,” Hange playfully yelled.  
“Yes, I am” Mikasa responded with the same smile.  
“Bye, Eren”  
“Bye,” Hange echoed as the teenage boy exited the apartment. 

“I think I’m going to head to bed,” Mikasa said after she turned around, finding all eyes trained on her.  
“Dinner is almost done,” Erwin responded, still holding the bowl of salad he was making.  
“I ate at work. I’m going to see if I can get rid of migraine,”  
“Well goodnight,” Hange responded waving a potato at her

Levi shook his head quietly and went back to picking up the peels on the floor. Has she finally reached that age? Did she begin keeping secrets from him? God forbid he would soon have to deal with her boy bullshit. He forced the thought to the back of his mind and focused on enjoying the evening with his friends. 

“What’s on your mind,” Hange asked while sipping a glass of wine  
“Nothing.”  
“Come on. You have that face. Tell him, Erwin”  
“What face,” he asked as he became suddenly aware.  
“You have that scowl,” Erwin added while cutting his food.  
“It’s the brat,” he sighed as he took another gulp of wine.  
“Mikasa,” Hange asked.  
“No. The roach underneath the cabinet,” he answered sarcastically.  
“She’s a good kid. Why,” Erwin asked as he looked at Levi curiously.  
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m doubting her too much,”  
“Is it the boy,” Hange asked smiling against her wine glass  
“No, it’s not. Tch. I’m just being overdramatic,” he said as he swigs down another gulp of wine.  
He watched as they looked at him, intently waiting for him to continue.

“Fuck off. The both of you,” he said. Erwin began chuckling to himself softly and Hange began to guffaw at his words.  
“Levi’s afraid Mikasa’s growing up,” she said in between laughs.  
“I want you both out of my apartment,” 

Was he really afraid to be left alone again? Seeing her with the boy really made him realize that she still wasn’t the same 9 year old, he took in. She’s 16. Only a few more years he would be helping her carry her bags to God knows what part of the world for college. And eventually, move out altogether. We would never tell the brat but her presence was one of the few things remaining in his life that still gave him some sort of joy.

After the departure of his friends, he began to make his way to his room, only to pause and glance at the bedroom door that was right across his. He stared at it for 3 seconds without uttering a word and then turned to his room shutting the door behind him. Maybe he was being overdramatic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I have a question. So Hange is in this chapter and will be showing up more. I usually alternate between using she/they pronouns for Hange because apparently Isayama said that Hange's gender is up to the reader. I didn't know how most people referred to Hange so a simple search led me to find that a majority of people used she so in my text I referred to Hange using she for fluency. Is that okay? 
> 
> It also seems I can't also post every 2 days but I won't exceed more than 3 days without posting. Oh and thank you for reading! You're kind words are literally the only reason I continue to write <3


	7. Smiley Faces and First Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin confronts the girl he ditched and Mikasa helps Sasha get ready for her first date

By the time he concluded his outline for his thesis, the sun was hovering over his skylight casting a warm glow over his desk, enriching its oak brown color. He scanned his eyes over the outline once more, and once he felt satisfied, he began to click out of the many tabs he had opened until he stumbled upon the one he spent the morning obsessing over. It was his trivial search based on nothing but her appearance and the place they met, that unsurprisingly resulted in nothing. He chuckled dryly as he closed the tab, dwelling on his twisted luck the universe had dealt at him.

He couldn’t comprehend why his thoughts were so consumed by her when he hardly knew the girl. He wasn’t expecting much when he exited his apartment, except maybe a mugging but the genuine comfort he felt with her just sitting next to him, he hadn’t felt that content in ages. He reluctantly shut his laptop and rubbed his eyes, when he felt the gentle vibration of his phone.

He glanced at his phone as incoming notifications from Eren began to show up on his screen. _Stop moping around and hurry up. I’m downstairs._ He grabbed his phone, and began making his way out of his apartment, grabbing the tin can his grandfather had spent the morning filling up. After his grandpa finished baking, he took the train to Brooklyn to meet some of his friends at the farmer’s market leaving Armin to dwell on his thoughts alone. As he passed the laundry unit, he noticed the dryer was sitting passively with only his blue sweater. Although it was peevishly warm outside, he grabbed it, swiftly put it on, and ran downstairs to see Eren bickering with what seemed to another person.

He hastily tapped on the window until Eren turned, finally noting his appearance with a grin. At the sound of a click, he hastily opened the car door and was welcomed by the humming of the car’s conditioning. “You know Eren, I don’t understand why you insist on driving when you can easily take the train,” Armin said as he sat down. “Mikasa,” he greeted, turning to the girl in the seat in front of him. “Armin,” she replied with a smile.

“I haven’t taken the train since the incident on 125th,” Eren replied as he began driving.  
“What happened,” Mikasa piped up. “He got into a fight and got arrested,” Armin replied. Although it occurred 6 months earlier, Armin could still remember the day like it was yesterday, especially since he was the one that bailed Eren out of jail, at 3 o'clock in the morning. He’d receive the phone call from NYPD asking for a guardian, so he roused his grandpa, and the two of them took a taxi, still dressed in their sleepwear, to bail Eren out. Eren spent the next week sleeping over at his house.

“Why would yo-” Mikasa started, passing a concerned glance in Eren’s direction before she was interrupted. Eren stared straight ahead and fixed his eyes on Armin through the rearview mirror and asked, “So Armin, why aren’t you going to your class?”

“I’m just not feeling it,” Armin said with a sigh. He wasn’t sure he was interested in the course anymore, so he decided to tag along with Eren into whatever dumb stunt he was planning to pull.  
“You sure it’s not because you ditched your little girlfriend,” Eren replied jokingly.

Mikasa promptly turned around to face Armin’s reddening face with her eyes grinning and said, “You never told me you were dating anyone,”

“I’m not, Mikasa,” he said, trying to laugh as he felt his face heat up. “I thought I told Eren that in private.”

“Whoops. It must have slipped my mind,” Eren replied laughing.

The remainder of the car ride was an intermix of dialogue ranging from Armin’s missed opportunity at love to classes, and everything in between. He began to feel better about his predicament and found himself laughing along with the others. “There’s plenty more fish in the sea,” Eren had told him and by the time Eren parked the car, he could hardly remember why he was sulking around in the first place.

“Armin,” Sasha exclaimed when she saw him. “Did you bring it?”  
Armin tossed her the tin can, which she instantly opened and began eating. “Bless Artie’s soul.”

“Zeke’s place,” Eren inquired, turning to him.  
“Sure. I just need to use the bathroom” he said, stretching his arms. He turned to face the restaurant and found those same blue eyes staring at him blankly. It couldn’t be. He quickly blinked and still found the same girl standing there. She was dressed differently but he was sure it was her.

He quickly searched her face, which was still peering at him through the glass, for any hint of emotion, but found known. So he waved. And she turned around.

He quickly ran into the restaurant pacing after her, pushing through workers and guest alike, as he trained his eyes on the back of her head

“Hi,” he said as he finally approached her from the back. “I’m Armin.” She continued to ignore him and went to go gather up plates from an empty table. “We met at Central Park last night. You drop-kicked me because you thought I was trying to kidnap you,” he chuckled awkwardly.

“I gave you the blue sweater I’m wearing right now,” he rambled as he followed her from behind. Did she not remember him?

“Who’s the blonde, Annie,” a girl asked as she approached them.  
“No one, Hitch,” she responded. _Annie? That was her name._

“I’m Armin,” he said, extending his hand to Hitch. Hitch shook his index finger and continued to stare at Annie’s blank face. “Is he the guy you were talking about?” Annie immediately snapped her head to glare at her Hitch piercing her with her eyes. Hitch’s hazel eyes immediately lit up as she began to connect the dots with a wide grin spreading over her face.

“No way! He i-” Hitch began before Annie shoved her hand over her mouth.  
“When I let go, you’re going to turn around and mind your own business,” he heard Annie say slowly. True to Annie’s words, the moment she lifted her hand from Hitch’s mouth, the girl began walking backward, slowly eyeing both of them with a smirk. “Wrap before you tap, Annie,” she yelled with a grin before she turned the corner.

“I’m so sorry about las-” Armin began.  
“It’s fine,” she interrupted.  
Armin stared at her with mouth agape. “Really? You haven’t even heard my explana-”  
“No, it’s fine. You can leave now,” she interrupted once more and began making her way into the kitchen.

He quickly paced after and grabbed her by the arm causing her to momentarily pause.  
“Will you at least let me explain,” he said frustrated, as he began to feel his face heat up  
“There’s no need to explain,” she said, finally looking him in the eyes.  
“At least give me a chance, Annie,” he countered.  
“I don’t need your pity, Armin,” she seethed as she yanked her arm out of his hand. He winced at the sound of his name noting it sounded more like a slur.  
“Who said anything about pity,” he responded.

He watched as she smoothed down her uniform before she turned to him once more.  
“Sir, if you aren’t going to order anything, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

He froze at her words and quietly observed her face. Annie stared back and didn’t look away until he broke their eye contact with the swish of head and swiftly turned around to the exit.

“You hag. I thought you were finally going to get some dick,” Hitch teased as she approached Annie. “Can’t believe you told him to fuck off. I thought you liked him.”

“Hell will freeze by the time you learn to mind your business, Hitch,” Annie lamented as she began to make her way to the kitchen. She began to feel the pit of regret begin as she quickly paced her to the silver doors that were across the restaurant. But she didn’t need anyone’s pity, especially his.

The gentle ring of the bell caused her to pause, signaling the arrival of a customer. She watched as Armin, followed by a figure in a black hoodie, made their way to the table nearest to her. _For fucks sake, would he give up._

“Waitress,” Eren called, snapping his fingers toward her. She turned her head quickly scanning the room to look for Mikasa or Hitch, but Hitch was waiting at another table and Mikasa was nowhere to be seen. She could feel herself steadily turning red, with hand curling into a fist, as she begrudgingly made her to their table.

“What games are you playing,” she asked peevishly, as she made her way to their table.  
“Nothing. I’m just doing what you said,” Armin replied as he opened his menu staring up at her innocently. She could have sworn she saw him smirk.

It took all her strength to snap the pencil that was currently balled in her hand.

“What do you recommend, Anna,” Eren asked, turning to her, closing his menu.  
“It’s Annie,” Armin corrected, flipping through his menu, scanning his eyes over the words. In actuality, Armin wasn’t hungry. He was full in fact and had a hefty breakfast with his grandfather this morning, but he was willing to choke down a burger if it meant he could stay longer.

What were the chances the girl he so desperately searched for this morning was in no other place than the one he spent his childhood completing homework assignments in?

“A glass of water,” Annie answered.  
“A glass of water it is,” Eren replied nonchalantly, as he handed her his menu.  
“I’ll take a burger,” Armin said with a smile, as he handed her his menu.

She scribbled down their orders on her notepad and began pacing her to the silver doors that held her salvation. She made Hitch deliver his burger and camped out in the kitchen. She peeked through the glass watching Hitch collect their plates and laughing along with the two boys. She didn’t exit the kitchen until she saw him disappear, with the door swinging behind him.

“Here,” Hitch said as she passed her a piece of paper. “Blondey gave you his number,”  
She snatched the piece of paper from Hitch’s delicate hands, and quickly scanned her eyes over the paper.

“Boo you whore,” Hitch ridiculed while watching her crumble the piece of paper. “You're never going to find love with that attitude”

“Who said I was looking for love,” Annie replied as she turned, with the paper in hand. She played with the paper ball in hand, twirling it between her fingers, looking for a trashcan. She approached one near the exit and quickly looked around to see if Hitch was still watching, but it seemed Hitch was busy serving a table across the room. She uncrumpled the paper and noted his rather neat handwriting and how he put a smiley face at the end of what seemed to be arbitrary numbers.

She sighed and reluctantly shoved it inside her apron.

***

“Come on! Be honest. Do I look weird?”  
“Sasha for the sixth time, you look great”

Sasha dismissed her words and continued staring into the mirror hoisted against her pale yellow walls. She turned around, craning her neck, trying to peek at her backside as she smoothed down her outfit. She’d spent the last 4 hours picking it out, after consulting her mother, Mikasa, Kaya, both Jean and Connie, and even Historia at some point, who was currently visiting her sister in France.

Although it was 1 am in France, after video chatting with Historia, Sasha was finally satisfied with the beige sundress, detailed with small red flowers, that stopped mid-thigh. She had brushed her hair out, freeing it from its typical ponytail, and for the first time in years, Mikasa could actually see her collarbones.

Mikasa laid in Sasha’s bed, with her Statistics book, and had spent the day trying to catch up on her summer homework she hadn’t started. She originally was planning on going to a movie with Sasha, but two days ago Sasha got asked out on a picnic, by a cook in the kitchen.

“His name’s Niccolo,” she gushed to her on the phone. Mikasa had a nagging feeling that there was something going on between the two; she’d caught the two of “flirting” in the kitchen 4 days before and he always snuck her food during their break. Mikasa knew it was a matter of time, but she never expected it to be so soon and now she was rendered alone for her movie date.

Sasha was never one to care about her looks for as long as Mikasa could remember. Her hair would always be out of place, and you’d be sure to find some sort of food stain on her shirt but that’s why the two got along so well. The two girls seemed nothing alike even in appearance. Mikasa’s detached tone was contrasted with Sasha’s warm one that seemed to draw in everyone she met. It was Sasha who struck up the friendship when she asked Mikasa for her leftover lunch in the 5th grade.

She was never afraid to get dirty and sometimes spent summers on her grandparents' farm where she even had her own horse. But one confession from a boy and it seemed a switch was flipped inside her head.

“You know, I always thought you and Connie had something going on,” Mikasa teased as she gathered her books into her bag.

“Why does everyone think that? He’s like a brother to me,” she scoffed, as she slipped on her sneakers. “Okay, I admit, I thought about it one time, but it was when we were 13, but-,” Sasha continued but was immediately cut off by the sound of the doorbell.

“Oh God, he’s here,” Sasha hissed, as she grabbed her bag, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Mikasa got up, and swung her tote bag around her shoulder, and bent down to put on her shoes. They exited Sasha’s room to find Niccolo greeting Sasha’s parents, and at the sound of their footsteps, all attention turned to their direction. Mikasa bid Sasha a farewell, "Use protection," and began walking in the opposite direction to the nearest train station.

The streets were bustling with people as she walked from sidewalk to sidewalk dodging people and objects alike. It was small things like watching children play in the water from busted fire hydrants that made her glad to live in the city. She’d only been to Upstate New York 5 years ago with Levi to get papers straightened out but she stayed in the car for the majority of the trip and refused to step inside her childhood home even after coercion.

She found the train station at the corner of the street and quickly hopped downstairs and swiped her MetroCard. She’d received her first paycheck a week ago, and after giving 25% to Levi, she put half into her piggy bank and used the remaining 25% to buy the tickets that Sasha bailed out on. The more she thought about her decision, the more she regretted it. She didn’t even like horror movies and as she made her way inside the train, she added it to the list of dumb decisions she’s made in her life right alongside the weed mishap from last week.

She sat down, taking a seat across the door, and jammed her headphones into her ears listening to any incoherent song that shuffled from her playlist. She pulled out the book Jean had been trying to get her to read for the past few days and began flipping through the pages. Jean was always recommending her some random book he was reading, and the list seemed to run endlessly, particularly since his mom was a librarian.

Surprisingly, unlike most of the books Jean recommended to her, she actually found this one interesting and made a mental note to thank him. She found herself engrossed in the book and didn’t look up from it until her music was momentarily paused by a sudden ping from her phone. She at the window behind her and found herself still in the tunnel, 3 stations away from her stop. She marked her book, looked down at her phone, and noticed 3 unread messages. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the caller id.

_Eren: mikasa_   
_Eren: mikasa_   
_Eren: hi_

She quickly scanned her eyes over the text, bit her lip, and decided it was best to not engage. She resumed reading her book until the same ping disrupted her music a minute later. She looked down and opened her messaging app.

_Eren: hi_   
_Eren: hi_   
_Eren: stop ignoring me_   
_Eren: put the book down mikasa_

Her breath hitched, as she shut her book and looked up, and glanced left and right for any sight of the bastard that was stalking her. She looked down at her phone at the sound of the sudden ping.

_Eren: stop looking around and look forward_

She shut off her phone and looked up and sure enough there stood her stalker dressed in a white button-down, gray dress pants, with his gray jacket in his arm. His hair looked tousled and his once vibrant green eyes, looked red as he balanced himself against the pole and smiled up at her.

“Hi, Mikasa”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay hi!!!  
> I had a passing thought that chapter 138 leaks and the episode that continues 112 come out around the same week, so I'm looking forward to that hell in the fandom. Bro I spent 30 minutes learning how to italicize text through code, and I just realized that I could have just used the tool that was so blatantly there :D (smiling through the pain) But, I hope you liked this chapter


	8. A Bad Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's happy family reunion and Mikasa's movie adventure.

There were those rare, bright moments in his mother’s life, in which she burrowed out of her sealed room and would attempt to acknowledge the ever-moving world that continued spinning without her. She would open her curtains, allowing light to brighten her room for the first time in weeks, would grasp Eren’s hand in hers, with her face presenting the illusion of happiness, and whisper promises that would surely go unfulfilled into his ear. He believed her at first. He would look for her at his soccer games, he waited by her door waiting for her to take him to the museum, and before Hannes, he would wait hours for her to pick him up from school. 

He began to resent her. He resented her when he would strain his eyes, staring into the school bleachers to find her familiar absence among cheering parents during his soccer games. He resented her when she wouldn’t show up to his meetings with teachers. He resented her when he would look up, expecting to see her beaming face, only to be met with Hanne's. 

But now when he looked into her tired face, all he felt was regret. It was her face that greeted him this morning as she lightly tapped his face repeating the words, “Eren. Wake up,” as he slowly opened his heavy eyes, finding his vision completely composed of his mother’s smiling face. He begrudgingly put his pillow on his head, murmuring the words, “It’s Saturday. Leave me alone.”

She directed her attention to his closed curtains and began to pull every one of them, causing his bedroom to suddenly brighten. She yanked at his sheets at the sight of him trying to seek refuge underneath them and began shaking his leg to rouse him. “Get up, Eren.” 

“You’re back,” he sighed into his pillow before turning to his mom, who was looming over him, with a small smile on her face. Although she was in her early 40s, Carla Jaeger had a sort of timeless beauty that would even cause aphrodite to blush. Her dark black hair laid in a loose ponytail on her shoulder, with her hazel eyes grinning at him, as she gently rustled his hair beckoning him to fully awake. 

“You need a haircut,” she mused, noting the length of his hair had surpassed his ears. “I took your suit out. Please put it on,” she called as she made her way out of his room, stopping every so often to straighten one of his items or collect a piece of trash he left on the floor. After not getting a response when he yelled, “Where are we going,” he turned to his clock that sat on his bedside, noting it was a few hours from noon. He rubbed his eyes and wandered into his bathroom defeated. 

Eren had only worn a suit twice in his lifetime: a black one to Hanne’s funeral and a navy blue one to Armin’s 16th birthday party, but the gray suit that laid on his bedside he’d never seen before. He wasn’t even sure he was the one who brought it, but swiftly put it on, fixed his watch, and fiddled with the navy blue tie as he walked through the apartment trying to pinpoint his mother’s location. 

He found her lounged against the kitchen counter eating a handful of blueberries, dressed in a simple black dress and black heels, with her hair pulled back into a loose bun, giving her a more youthful appearance. At the sight of him, she put down her berries, and waved him over, and began to fix his tie. 

“Are you still messing around with Mina,” she inquired while fiddling with his tie as Eren began to cough up the blueberry that he choked on. “Please be more inconspicuous. I don’t like finding condom wrappers on my couch and please be safe. I don’t want to deal with teen pregnancy,” she said wearily. “I know I can’t stop you, but it still surprises m-” she began before Eren shushed her by plugging his ears. “I can’t hear you,” he mouthed as she laughed. 

“You know, I don’t remember you being this tall,” she mused as she finished his tie. Her hand instinctively reached up to his cheek, with her brows furrowed deep in thought as she watched son’s face. “You know I love you, Eren,” she whispered as she grabbed her purse to which he simply nodded with a smile and followed her into her car. 

He slouched onto the passenger seat and distracted himself on his phone while Armin texted him detailing his “meeting” with Annie before he suddenly remembered the question he still hadn’t received an answer to. “Where are we going,” he asked as he watched his mother suddenly tense at his question. 

“You’re going to be mad if I tell you,” she deflected as she glanced over at him. “Come on. Tell me,” he urged. “We’re meeting your father's lawyer downtown,” she ultimately answered, staring straight ahead. He felt his jaw clench and the gradually heating of his body as he glared at his mother acknowledging her betrayal. 

“Eren, I can tell yo-” she began but was immediately cut off. “You couldn’t have told me,” he seethed as he glared at her. “If I did, you wouldn’t have come! And we both know it,” she answered with her tone gradually rising. He looked at her worry-stricken face and scoffed turning to unbuckle his seatbelt. 

“No shit. I wonder why,” he retorted, sarcastically.  
“Watch your mouth,” she chastised.  
“Stop the car. I don’t want to be here,” he snapped when his seatbelt became undone. 

“Eren, stop. You can be angry. You can yell all you want. You can scream at the top of your lungs for all I care.” She turned to him with her eyes beginning to swell, and her face beginning to flush. “But all I ask is that you cooperate for one day. Just one day we’re civil. Just one day you don’t act on your impulses, and just listen. Is that too much to ask,” she begged as her voice began to flatter. 

He was tempted to say yes, but at the sight of tears beginning to trail down her cheek, he stayed silent. “Why,” he quietly asked, as she wiped her face with a napkin. “He’s finalizing his will and he wants everyone to be there,” she whispered. “Dina, Zeke, you, me,” she listed as she stared ahead. 

They stayed silent for the moment with the only thing filling their silence the gentle sounds of the car, and the commotion transpiring outside. “How’d he get the queen of England to agree,” he asked as his mother snorted at Dina’s nickname. “I have no clue. I thought the only thing that would cause her to step afoot here would be my death,” she joked. 

“But in all seriousness, promise me you’ll be civil,” she pleaded, taking one hand off the steering wheel and placing it on his cheek. He sighed, buckled up his seat belt, and returned to his phone. “Thank you,” she sighed and returned her eyes to the road. 

They were the first to arrive at the law office and were directed to a private office on the 15th floor, with a large glass table and 5 black chairs placed around it. It was a beige simple room, that was quite large for the amount of furniture satiated in it, Eren noted. Carla took a seat near the door, beckoning Eren to do the same, as they both waited for their remaining guest. 

Zeke was the first person to arrive, still dressed in his laboratory coat, with his blond hair disheveled and out of breath. “It’s my break,” he explained to Carla with a kiss on the cheek. Dina Fritz arrived next wheeling her suitcase behind her soon after. After a quick conversation with her son, a tight smile at Eren, who was the living proof of her husband’s infidelity, she made her to the seat farthest from Carla and sat down. 

“Bitch acts like I purposefully slept with her husband,” Carla told Eren once after too many glasses of wine.

“Did you just call Dina a bitch,” Eren had responded with a laugh 

The two women passed glaring glances at the other, with the only thing filling their silence was their two sons conversing about last night's game. However, the room fell silent when a bald man, dressed in a smart suit entered the room. 

“Hello. My name is Keith Shadis and I’m Grisha Jaeger’s attorney,” his lawyer greeted as passed a folder around the room to each individual. “I emailed you all asking for your attendance because Grisha Jaeger made the personal choice of commencing his will reading before his death. As you can see, Mr. Jaeger is still very much alive,” he said with a laugh but fell silent when he noted the blank stares in his direction. He cleared his throat before resuming once more. 

“If you’re here, it’s because Mr. Jaeger included you in his will, that is now in front of you. I assume you all know what a will is, but I’ll explain it anyway. A will is a legal document that specifies how Mr. Jaeger’s assets will be set forth based on his wishes after his imminent death. However, before I continue, Mr. Jaeger can change it at any point he feels fit, without the need to counsel any of you. This is a rare case. In all of my 35 years, I’ve never heard of a will reading of someone alive.” 

Eren began to space out listening to the redundant legal terms and questions voiced by the others. He was still slightly shocked that his father was dying but didn’t find it surprising. The last he’d heard about Grisha was from his mother mentioning that his father’s MRI scan showed signs of a brain tumor, a malignant brain tumor 3 years ago. “It’s cancerous,” his mother had sobbed into his shoulder. Ironic. Eren already lost a father to cancer. He didn’t think it would take another one, no matter how half-assed of a dad he was. 

“Isn’t Grisha supposed to be here? It’s his will after all,” Zeke piped up.  
“He’s currently stationed in Saint Anne’s hospital. Simply put, he didn’t want to be here.” 

“Coward,” Eren whispered. He knew his father was afraid to face the sins he committed in his life and now he was dying without trying to acknowledge them. 

“Now, if you all may turn to the first page, we may begin.” 

*** 

He sank into the velvet seat, blinking his eyes rapidly trying to get them accustomed to the dark theater, but the rapid pounding of his head made it rather hard. He held his jacket in his lap, noting that he had long lost his tie, but he wasn’t sure if he left it at Floch’s places, his mom’s car, or the trains he rode beforehand. He quickly glanced around the rather empty theater, before he resumed his eyes back to his phone swiping through missed calls from his mother and Zeke. Fuck. His head hurt. “You’re not allowed to have your phone on in the theater,” he heard a voice say, turning to see Mikasa make her way towards him with a bag of popcorn in hand. 

Approximately 48 minutes had passed since he first saw her reading on the train after he ran into her cart, barely missing the train. After leaving Floch’s house, there was inexplicable pounding rattling through his head which he could either explain with the events that occurred at his happy family reunion, whatever dirty hard liquor Floch hid underneath his bed, or that somehow, his father’s brain tumor was suddenly genetic. He hoped it was either of the first two. 

He could barely breathe when he entered the train and was so confused that he wasn’t even sure he was on the right train. When caught his breath, glanced up, he thought he was hallucinating when he suddenly saw Mikasa sitting in front of him reading a book. At first, he wasn’t sure it was her. What were the chances she had a secret twin sister? 

He found himself staring at her trying to discern if it was her for the first 2 stops on the train. He’d only ever seen her dressed in her typical uniform with her hair pulled back, save for the one time last week so he found it a bit disorienting to find her sitting so casually on a train bench in black shorts and a black t-shirt with some band random on it. 

He steadied himself against the pole and found himself suddenly unsure of what to say to her. He was acquainted with her but he wasn't sure he could remember the last time they had a conversation after last Wednesday. She usually spent the car ride home on her phone or talking with Sasha, sometimes passing him a few glances or words. Their vocabulary consisted of “Hi” and “Bye”. 

It was best to not engage, he told himself as he watched her flip another page, completely oblivious to his presence. He'd been looking for a distraction the whole day, and it seemed the universe just granted him one on a silver platter. But it was best to respect her boundaries, he told himself. But where's the fun in that? 

“You’re drunk,” were the first words she uttered when she finally spotted Eren’s disheveled appearance. If she hadn’t met him beforehand, she could hardly tell there was anything wrong with him, but as she scanned her eyes over him, there was a slight haze in his eyes that made him appear slightly manically. 

“Are you okay,” she asked as she closed her book, marking it, as she inserted it in her bag. “Never been better,” he answered as he made his way to the seat across from her, leaning his head against the chair. He closed his eyes, trying to get himself lost in the gentle rattle, bounces, and swoons of the train, before he returned his eyes to the girl in front of him, who was looking in every direction but his. 

She crossed her legs, uncrossed them, glanced around the train, trying to think of words to say. “You know the legal drinking age is 21,” she began, finally breaking the silence between them. “You know what they say, 16 is the new 21,” he smirked before continuing with “Do you know by any chance if weed was legalized?”

“Asshole,” she responded once she finally understood his question, causing him to laugh. “Where are you going,” he asked when the train suddenly stopped. “The movies,” she replied nonchalantly.

“You’re spending your Saturday watching a movie alone?”  
“Well, when you say it like that it sounds bad. Sasha ditched me,” she found herself explaining.  
“Always knew Sasha was the fun one.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“Nothing.”  
"Are you calling me boring?"  
"No, I'm not. I just said you don't seem like a fun person."  
“My friends tell me I’m fun all the time,” Mikasa lied. 

“I highly doubt that.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“You just don’t seem “fun””  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“Well, you’re idea of a Saturday is watching a movie alone.”  
"And you think you're so much fun," she asked.  
"I am, in fact."  
“Is your idea of fun getting blackout drunk on a subway,” she retorted  
“Touche,” he conceded with a laugh. 

“What interesting things do have you planned “Mr. Fun”?”  
“Well,” Eren said glancing around the train before his eyes fell on the gray eyes gazing at him. He had nothing to do with Armin currently away from home and was currently trying to avoid both his mom and Zeke. He was far more entertained in the 10 minutes he spent on the train than the 2 hours at Floch's house, so he asked, "Let me go to the movies with you.”

“No,” she answered immediately.  
“Yes,” he replied, just as quickly.  
“No.”  
“Come on, Mikasa,” he teased.  
“Absolutely not.”  
“Please.”  
“No.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because I said so.”  
“Please.”  
"No means no."

*** 

“Your taste in movies sucks,” he whispered to her while eating the popcorn she brought. “If you’re scared, you can just say so,” she whispered back, yanking the bag of popcorn out of his hand. “Who said I was scared,” he asked, turning to her, trying to grab another handful. “I can feel you trembling from here,” she answered as she moved the bag out of his grasp. She didn’t understand why she agreed to let him come with her but there she sat in the back row of a dark theater trying to hide her popcorn from his grubby hands. “Are your hands even clean? Get your own food,” she hissed. “But that’s what you're for,” he remarked as his phone buzzed. 

“Can you please be quiet,” the women seated in front of them hissed. “Some of us are trying to watch a movie.” Mikasa began turning red with embarrassment and whispered a small “Sorry,” as Eren rolled his eyes. 

She watched his face contort as he glanced down at his phone, watching his emotions range from anger to frustration. He sighed, shut off his phone, and returned his attention to the movie screen. He didn’t look away from the screen until he felt a tap on his shoulder, turning to see Mikasa offering him some popcorn. 

“What happened to buy your own,” he taunted. “You have 3 seconds before I take it back completely,” she answered as she passed him the bag. They both returned their attention to the movie that Mikasa proceeded to regret the more minutes she watched.

Every so often one of them would stir, clashing their knees together, or their fingers would brush up on the others when they reached into the bag, causing Mikasa’s shade to deepen into a deep red. 

“Hey, Mikasa,” he suddenly whispered.  
“What,” she whispered back, turning to face him. He looked significantly better than when she first saw him. The haze in his eyes had mostly disappeared and he no longer looked “sightly maniacal”. She stared at him waiting for him to say something as he watched her face, searching for something. “Is something on my face,” she asked as she suddenly became self-conscious. 

“No, you look fine,” he remarked.  
“Then what?”  
“Do you want to get out of here,” turning his head to the exit, as he offered her his hand  
“To where?”  
“I guess we’ll find out.”  
“Why?”  
“Why not?”  
“That sounds incredibly stupid.”  
“And you say you’re the fun one of your group,” he teased  
“I am,” she insisted as he laughed. 

She observed his face and glanced at his outstretched hand coaxing her for an answer. 

She knew it was a bad idea, and by the time this night finished it’d most likely end up on her list of regrets. It was approaching 8 pm, there were still 45 minutes remaining in her movie, and with her curfew at 9:30, she knew there was no chance she’d make it back on time. Levi would most likely never let her out of the apartment if she made it home late. She had only about 3 swipes left on her MetroCard, $23 in cash, her tote bag that held Jean’s book, and her phone that was currently at 65%. 

But something ignited in her as she slung her bag over her shoulder and tucked the bag of popcorn underneath her arm, which made her feel almost sick. She grabbed his warm hand as he helped her up, and replied with the sentence that she recently found herself saying a lot. 

“This is a one-time thing,” she answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii
> 
> There is a glaring lack of Aruani in this chapter, so I promise to at least dedicate the half the chapter to them. I don't have much to say but enjoy and remind you chapter 138 is now finished. Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Jen


	9. A Tub of Ice Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie, Hitch, and tub of ice cream.

Annie detested the humid heat, loathed the sunburns she would suffer, and living in the city proved to be a disadvantage when tourists from all over the world flocked to the city in herds, making it nearly impossible for her to find a seat on the train.

She sat on her living room oak floor, with all the lights flicked off, in a white tank top and blue shorts, facing her air conditioner as she ate a chocolate donut. She found a box full of them on the kitchen counter this morning when she awoke to an empty apartment. She figured it was her father’s attempt at reconciliation as the silence between them ran rampant the past few days. Neither of them knew the words to say to each other and would only mutter phrases when they inevitably met throughout the day.

She already began moving some of her hardcore equipment to the back of her closet or returned them to the gym when Mina came over every other day to help out. But sometimes, when she knew her father wasn’t at the gym, she would spar for fun with Bertholdt, who just began speaking with her again. Mina would tag along but wasn’t much of an opponent; she couldn’t fight if her life depended on it. She had no intention of giving up Muay Thai, but she was sure last week marked the end of an era.

Her futile attempt at relaxation was disturbed moments later when a familiar ping came from her phone. She heaved a heavy groan, turned to her phone, and found messages from Hitch appearing on her screen beckoning her to come downstairs. _Get your ass down here. It’s hotter than the depths of hell. I can already feel my mascara running._

Annie groaned loudly, took her time getting downstairs, and led a pissed Hitch into her apartment. “The A train was such a pain in the ass,” Hitch commented as collapsed on her couch. “You know when I said we can hang out outside of work, this isn’t what I meant,” she sighed with a smile. “I didn’t skip my mathematical physics class to lay on your couch.”

“Wait, I thought you were 17. How are you taking an advanced college class?”  
“I am 17 and it’s because I want to,” Hitch hummed as she picked at her manicured nails.

“There’s no way in hell you’re taking mathematical physics. You can barely walk back and forth between the kitchen and dining room and now you’re telling me you're taking advanced math.” Annie responded with skepticism. “And you’re doing it for fun?”

“I am.”  
“Bullshit.”  
“I really am,” she returned, with her eyes wide in confusion, as she shifted herself off the couch. “It’s where I met Marlo.” Marlo was her boyfriend that it seemed she couldn’t stop complaining about. “NYU has courses if you’re interested.”  
“You surprise me everyday Hitch,” Annie conceded with a dry laugh

The two girls found themselves on Annie’s fire escape with two spoons eating through a tub of ice cream Hitch found when she raided Annie’s fridge without consent.

“Don’t ever touch my shit again,” Annie said as she ate another spoonful.  
“Yesh, it’s just ice cream.”

Annie never really had a feminine presence in her household. It’s always been just her and her dad. It was apparent to anyone with eyes that the pale, short, blue-eyed blond, seemingly straight out of Western Europe, looked nothing like her tan, brown-eyed father. She was used to confused looks from teachers and was even called the creative nickname “Aryan Slut” by middle school bullies. She had to give them props for their ingenuity before she broke their nose.

Although she made a fuss at first when Hitch began fiddling around with her hair, she soon found herself comfortable with her fingers arranging, rearranging, braiding, and everything in between. Her hair was usually in a tight knot she learned from her father. His calloused would quickly slip it on before school or Muay Thai and it wouldn’t become undone until she brushed her hair out at night.

For the next 3 hours, she found herself sitting between Hitch’s legs on the fire escape, as she braided her hair, watching random shows on her phone, and making stories about people who passed down below.

“You know, I think you’d look great with purple hair.”  
“No.”  
“Come on, Annie,” she pleaded. “I’ll run to the drugstore right now and get the dye.”  
“No. Do it your own hair,” she replied.  
“Please,” she begged.  
“No.”  
“Please.”  
“No.”  
“Pease.”

“You know I thought peer pressure didn’t exist in real life until this every moment and you’re not even offering to buy me drugs,” she responded with a smile. “I’ll buy you drugs if you dye the hair,” Hitch pleaded once more. "Adderall, meth, weed, coke, make your choice," she teased.

At the sound of Hitch’s bargain, she removed herself from Hitch's fingers and made her way to the living room, ignoring Hitch’s “Please” and “You’re so boring” every so often.

She laid herself on the couch opposite Hitch and listened to Hitch’s voice drown out the television. She was in a half state of delirium as she listened to Hitch rant about God knows what and found herself overcome with slowly overcome with drowsiness.

“Can you believe Marlo wants to take a gap year after high school and become a United Nations Volunteer? I keep trying to talk him out of it, especially since he’ll most likely be stationed in a war-torn country, but he won't listen," she exasperated.

"Why can’t he go straight to college after next summer and value his damn life for once? But no! He insists on acting like a moral knight. And now he’s acting like I’m the bad guy because I don’t want a mangled corpse returned to my doorstep. Am I asking for too much, Annie?”

It wasn’t until she heard the doorbell ring, reverberating throughout the apartment, that she was startled awake. Annie glanced at the clock and found it ticking at the idle hour of 7:32 pm and noted the steady drizzle of rain that seemed to be starting outside the window. _Shit. How long has she been out?_ It was too early for her father to be home. On Sundays, he didn’t come back until 10 pm.

“Hitch,” she called, as the doorbell rang again. She glanced around the apartment looking for Hitch’s familiar presence but found all traces of her gone save for the smell of her perfume that lingered throughout the air. A small sheet of paper slipped from her lap as she got up, and she bent down to pick it up, yelling “I’m coming,” at the sound of the bell ringing once more.

She found herself reading Hitch's familiar cursive as she made her way to the door. There were only two words scribbled onto the paper: Have Fun

She crumpled up the paper, pulled the door open, and at the sight of the blue eyes that greeted her, she banged it shut immediately.

“Annie,” he called confused from the other side of the door. Maybe she was hallucinating, she thought as she glanced through the peephole on her tiptoes, but her hopes were crushed when she found him still standing there in a black hoodie and sweatpants. She turned her attention to the crumpled paper sheet of swore with her last breath that she would rain terror on Hitch.  
 _That little conniving bitch. Fuck her. Fuck her._

She took a deep breath, tossed Hitch’s message across the room, and returned her attention to the door. She returned her face to its resting face, opened the door as calmly as possible, and leaned against the doorway.

“How can I help you, Armin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick! What does this fanfic and HunterXHunter have in common? The correct answer is a hiatus! 
> 
> This chapter is extremely short and late. Not too mention I hate it. My school work is getting to point where it's very overwhelming and when I do get around to writing the this, it's either I have no clue how to write out the events or I have no motivation in the story. I'll most likely be continuing it but it won't be for awhile (like 2 weeks). It's my first fanfic and I think it's very obvious in my writing that I have no experience in writing lol. Yeah, so I'm kinda sorry about that. But thanks for the support and all your comments really mean a lot to me. 
> 
> So until further notice, peace out. 
> 
> *****138 MANGA SPOILERS: DO NOT LOOK AT IF ANIME ONLY**********  
> Bro Connie, Gabi, and JEAN. (I bawled my eyes over them) But the Eren-Mikasa thing confuses me to no end and that I can't look at that kiss without cringing. Does this make EM canon? I have no clue. But does it stop me from sobbing over Eren? No it does not. But yeah Mikasa got a complete character arc! And both parties of aruani are still alive!  
> Funfact: Eren, Zeke, Mikasa, Erwin, and Jean/Historia are my top 5 characters! But I also love Connie and Hitch. I'm interested who your top 5 are.  
> Okay but really for real, peace out.  
> Jen
> 
> Edit #3:  
> Lowkey playing with the idea of ditching this fanfic and writing a 30 chapter angsty fanfic about Mikasa and Eren in that cottagecore fantasy. Kidding!


End file.
